CHONBURI — A 63-year-old German man was pulled to safety after falling into a deep well and treading water for 40 minutes while cutting grass on his property, thanks to a neighbor who heard his cries for help.
Emergency responders were called to Soi Lang Wat Pa Yup in Sattahip Subdistrict at 11:00 a.m. on October 9 after reports of a foreign national trapped in a well more than 20 meters deep. Rescue teams from the Sawang Rojthammasathan Foundation quickly mobilized to the scene.
At the scene, rescuers found the foreign man weakly treading water in the well, calling out for help. Emergency personnel quickly lowered a rope for him to tie around his body before pulling him up. The operation took approximately 15 minutes to safely extract him from the well.
The victim was identified as Mr. Roland, 63, a German national, who emerged uninjured from the ordeal. His son stood nearby, anxiously watching the rescue and offering encouragement.
Paijit Khiaokasem, 53, a neighbor, recounted seeing Roland walk past her house that morning carrying a grass trimmer before he disappeared. When she later heard cries for help, she rushed to investigate and discovered he had fallen into the well. She immediately notified authorities.
Roland explained that while cutting grass, he failed to notice the well cover was obscured by overgrown vegetation. He accidentally stepped on it and fell through, forcing him to tread water for approximately 40 minutes while shouting for help until his neighbor heard him and alerted rescue teams.
“I consider myself very lucky. If my neighbor hadn’t heard me calling out, I might have died that day,” Roland said, expressing gratitude to the rescue personnel who came to his aid.
The incident serves as a reminder for property owners to clearly mark and maintain well covers, especially in areas with overgrown vegetation that could obscure potential hazards.
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