Two dead and two injured when Thai actor crashes jet ski into motorboat

Two people were killed and two others were injured when an actor crashed a jet ski into their boat in Thailand.

Passenger Parichat Hoiman, 44, and boat driver Prayoon Uampathum, 64, were crossing the Chao Phraya River when a speeding jetski struck their vessel in Phra Pradaeng district of Samut Prakan province on August 17 evening.

Rescue staff were dispatched to search the crash site some 300 metres away from the Bang Krachao Nok Temple Pier. Despite heavy rains and strong currents impeding the operation, both Parichat and Prayoon were found six hours later, drowned in the riverbed near the sunken boat engine.

Parichat's husband, Mongkolsawat Woenkrathok, 48, said they had hired their acquaintance Prayoon to drive them across the river.

He said: 'We wanted to cross from Bang Krachao Nok to Phra Ram 3 to run errands. While the boat was crossing, the other party's jet ski crashed into us. I narrowly escaped death, but my wife and the driver drowned.'

Meanwhile, two jetski riders, Nanyaree Minhongdee, 17, and her mother Onlada Silanong, 41, were injured and treated at the Bangpakok Samut Prakan Hospital.

The jet ski driver was identified in reports as local actor Shindanai Sae Lim. He claimed he was bringing his girlfriend and her mum back from a riverside restaurant when the collision occurred.

He allegedly said: 'We were travelling in a group of 11 people on five jet skis, returning to the pier. I could not see the boat crossing the river because it had no lights. By the time I realised there was another boat, it was already too close to avoid a crash.'

Police said Shindanae was found to be sober while operating the jet ski. However, he did not have a license for the watercraft.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Itsarat Tansu of Phra Pradaeng Police Station said: ‘We have not charged anyone yet. We are gathering evidence and security camera footage, and checking navigation laws and other regulations related to the Marine Department, as the incident occurred on the river.

‘After collecting enough evidence, we will summon both the jet ski driver and the surviving boat passengers for questioning.'

If found guilty of driving a jet ski without a license, Shindanai may face up to six months in prison, fines ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 baht, or both.