A 37-year-old British father has tragically drowned while swimming with his partner at a popular Phuket beach. Jason Mark Lambert, from Ipswich, was in the water with dozens of other tourists at Freedom Beach on the morning of Saturday, November 29 when he was suddenly struck by a powerful wave and swept away by a rip current.
Despite desperate efforts by fellow holidaymakers to save him, the father-of-one could not be revived. He had been paddling close to shore with his wife when the emergency happened at about 11.30am. Two other swimmers were also pulled out to sea at the same time, but both were rescued alive after being brought back to the beach. Witness Chariya Thaweerat Howells, 31, described how attention initially focused on the two shouting swimmers, meaning Mr Lambert went under unnoticed.
She said: “The sea looked rough and we had only been there a few minutes when we heard cries for help.
“Everyone ran to assist. A Thai man launched a kayak and managed to reach the two struggling tourists and get them safely to shore.
“Only then did people realise a third man was being washed in. By the time they dragged him onto the sand his face was already pale and yellowish.
“He had clearly been underwater for some time.”
Tourists performed CPR for more than 20 minutes while waiting for an ambulance, which took around 25 minutes to arrive at the relatively remote beach.
Mrs Howells added: “There were no lifeguards on duty and no red warning flags, even though the waves were obviously strong.
“Only a handful of local Thais were around, none in uniform, and there was a lot of confusion and shouting because of the language barrier.
“My friend and I had to translate between the groups.”
Jason and his wife had arrived in Thailand on November 19 and were staying at the Nipa Resort in Patong. He had swum in the sea several times earlier in the holiday without any problems.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Mekchai of Patong Police Station confirmed the incident was reported to authorities around 12.30pm. He said tourists pulled Mr Lambert from the water and attempted resuscitation, but he could not be saved.
An initial examination by Dr Punthanika Chaithienthong of Patong Hospital concluded accidental drowning. The British Embassy has been informed and the family raised no objections to the findings.
Mr Lambert’s body has been released to his relatives for repatriation and funeral arrangements.
