The 20-year-old German tourist received fatal stings when she became entangled in the long poisonous tentacles of a box jellyfish at Lamai beach shortly after going swimming about 8pm, said Pol Maj Udomsak Thappa, a duty officer at Bophut police station.
Another 20-year-old German woman was also stung when she went into the sea to help her friend, Thai media reported today (Oct 7).
Staff at the bungalow where the two women stayed told police they were seen drinking beer on the beach around 8pm on Tuesday. Shortly afterwards they heard screaming and they rushed to see what was wrong. They found the two women crying in pain with jelly fish stings along their bodies.
The staff immediately alerted the Koh Samui municipality’s rescue centre. Rescue workers hurried to the scene and gave first aid by pouring vinegar onto the wounds and rushed them to Bangkok Samui Hospital.
However, the first woman to be stung died shortly after. Her friend was still being treated at the hospital.
On Aug 1, a Thai tourist, Chanant Surin, 31, also died after she was stung by box jellyfish while swimming at a beach on Koh Pha-ngan.
Authorities have issued warnings about the danger from box jellyfish stings while swimming off the island at this time of year.
In Thailand, this poisonous jelly fish is also found near Koh Mak in Trat and Koh Lanta in Krabi, according to the Eastern Marine Fisheries Research and Development Centre website.
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