FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Prayers for Thai students as US rescuers retrieve bodies

Prayers for Thai students as US rescuers retrieve bodies

AMERICAN rescuers have succeeded in retrieving the remains of two Thai postgraduate students from their car that plunged into a California river more than a month ago.

The retrieval operation saw rescuers lowered from a helicopter into the Kings River in California, where the car was stuck. The rescuers then pulled the car to a river bank and retrieved the bodies.
The remains of Thiwadee Saengsuriyarit, 24, and Bhakapon Chairattanasongporn, 28, who both studied at South Florida University and were on a holiday trip in the hired car, will be sent for autopsy and identity confirmation. 
Families of both victims were present at the site, and a monk was brought to the scene to perform a religious rite for the victims.
The family of Thiwadee intends to bring her ashes back to Thailand while Bhakapon’s family plans to scatter his ashes in California.
Efforts to retrieve the bodies from the car have been delayed since the July 26 accident because of the high water level and strong currents in the river, as well as bad weather, that could have threatened the safety of rescue teams. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office decided to retrieve the remains on Friday morning local time when the river flow and water level were deemed safe. 
The Thai Consulate Office in Los Angeles said on its Facebook page that it was informed of the decision by the sheriff’s office.
The delay in retrieving the remains had led to some criticism of US agencies who were viewed as not wanting to recover the bodies because the victims were Asian, not American.
 

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