The Rawi Municipality Disisaster Prevention and Mitigation unit was alerted at 1.30pm today by locals that a group of teens swimming near Nai Harn Beach had been swept away by rip currents, who were feared drowned.
Beach Guards worked tirelessly to rescue the swimmers of the group which comprised four young men and two young women.
Five of the teens were finally rescued and declared safe, while a sixth member of the group, a 20-year-old girl, was not immediatly accounted for, prompting a panicked search of the area.
The girl’s unconsious body was eventually spotted in the break 10 minutes later, and rescue volunteers proceeded to retrieve her and administer CPR before an ambulence arrived to transport the girl, whose name has been withheld by authorities, to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
“Due to the long weekend, there were a lot of people, Thais and foreigners, relaxing at the beach today, where there were waves as high as 1.5 metres. Nai Harn can particularly be dangerous beach with rip currents, yet many continue to ignore the red flags posted there warning not to go swimming,” said Rawai Mayor Arun Solos.
“Everyone needs to heed to these warnings, because ever life is valuable,” he concluded.