AYUTTHAYA – A 74-year-old Thai woman named Sujitta Thongnum in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya is searching for a foreign couple that saved her life from drowning in the Chao Phraya River. She told her story on February 14.
The grandmother was on her way home from a medical examination on February 8, 2024, when she was dizzy and fell off a ferry near the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya. She could not swim, and she sank quickly.
When she woke up, she was being held by a Western foreign couple. She was too shocked to ask for their names or contact information, but someone took a picture of herself with the man.
She later learned that the couple was about to board a boat with a bicycle. When they saw her fall into the water, the husband immediately abandoned his bicycle and jumped in to save her. The couple’s belongings, including a phone, camera, glasses, and cash, were lost in the water. The total value of the belongings is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of baht. However, the couple said they did not want anything in return. They were just happy to help save someone’s life.
Sujitta’s daughter later posted the picture on social media and tried to find the couple. They want to compensate them for their belongings that they lost in the water.
Sujitta is also grateful to a Thai woman who helped her out of the water. She offered the woman a reward, but she refused.
Taptim Thaisumang, a 45-year-old boat operator, stated that she observed the foreign man jump into the river and carry the elderly to safety. The man’s wife attempted to help pull that lady out of the water but was unsuccessful. So she assisted the pair.
“If the foreigner had not immediately jumped into the water that day to pull the old lady out of the water, she might have drowned,” she said.
Taptim went on to say that she was relieved to have rescued the elderly lady and did not consider the rewards. She was simply wondering how she was doing. So seeing Mrs. Sujitta in good health today makes her happy.
