CHONBURI — 28 August 2026, A Russian tourist was found unconscious in a restroom on Pattaya’s Walking Street early Thursday morning, while his heavily intoxicated friends reportedly prevented rescuers from taking him to hospital. A white powder-like substance was also found inside his nasal cavity, though its identity has not been confirmed.
At 02:30, the Pattaya Thammasathan Rescue Radio Centre received a report of a foreign man who had lost consciousness inside a restroom on Walking Street in South Pattaya, Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province.
Rescue workers, Pattaya City’s Special Affairs officers and Tourist Police were dispatched to the scene.
A large crowd of tourists had gathered after the incident. Rescuers found the Russian man slumped unconscious in the restroom, with his eyes open and appearing confused and intoxicated.
Several of his Russian friends were also reportedly heavily intoxicated. They shouted at and obstructed rescuers, initially refusing to let them enter the restroom to provide assistance.
The man was eventually brought outside to an area with better ventilation. However, his friends continued to refuse to allow rescuers to take him to hospital.
Rescuers reportedly observed a white powder-like residue inside the man’s nasal cavity, but could not determine what substance it was.
Rescue personnel said the man’s friends claimed he had taken antidepressant medication and consumed alcohol before losing consciousness. They said he could still be awakened.
The rescuers said the substance in his nose appeared similar to an illicit drug, possibly ketamine, but stressed that they could not confirm its identity.
The man remained intoxicated and was unable to communicate coherently. At one point, he reportedly said that he had lost a leg and repeatedly insisted that he did not want to go to hospital, saying he only wanted to return to his accommodation.
Kriangsak Thapkhue, 64, said the group of Russian tourists had left a nearby Russian entertainment venue and come to use the restroom.
After a while, the man’s friends ran to ask him for help after discovering that their companion had lost consciousness. He then contacted rescue workers.
When the rescuers arrived, however, the Russian tourists reportedly prevented them from entering the restroom and pushed them away. The group eventually carried the unconscious man out themselves.
Kriangsak said his business had already been closed for some time and that the tourists had only come to use the restroom.
He said the man appeared to be under the influence of drugs, noting the large amount of white powder-like material he saw inside the man’s nose. He suspected the group may have been snorting an illicit substance, possibly ketamine, inside the restroom, although he did not know where it had been obtained.
Initially, authorities could only photograph the man and record his passport details as evidence.
The exact cause of the man’s condition could not be established because his friends refused to allow him to be taken to hospital and instead took him back to their accommodation themselves.
