A British man, aged 37, tragically drowned while swimming with his partner at a crowded beach. Jason Mark Lambert, hailing from Ipswich, was enjoying the waters at Freedom Beach in Phuket, Thailand, when a powerful wave carried him away in a rip current.
Despite efforts from other beachgoers to rescue him, Lambert, a father of one who had recently arrived in Thailand with his wife for a family vacation, could not be resuscitated. Fortunately, two other swimmers who were also swept out to sea were successfully saved.
An eyewitness, Chariya Thaweerat Howells, 31, described the chaotic scene where bystanders initially helped two distressed swimmers before realizing a third person was in distress. She recounted how a Thai man used a kayak to rescue the first two tourists and bring them safely ashore. However, it was too late for Lambert, whose face showed signs of prolonged submersion by the time he was brought to land.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Mekchai of Patong Police Station, the incident occurred around 11:30 am, with authorities being alerted an hour later. Lambert, who had been at the beach since 10 am, got caught in rough waves while swimming and disappeared underwater. Despite rescue attempts and CPR by beach visitors before emergency services arrived, Lambert could not be revived.
The Mirror has reached out to the Foreign Office for a statement regarding the incident. Stay updated with the latest news by subscribing to email alerts for top stories of the day.