Rafts floating in reservoir crash from sudden rush of water
Two rafts tethered on the shore of the Sirindhorn Dam slammed against one another when the dam gates were suddenly opened creating a strong current on Monday (July 6).
A clip of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Wuttichai Khamjun, 33, the raft operator, said the dam gates are normally opened between 10am and noon, and that he had taken 15 visitors onboard his raft at about 3pm on Monday.
Some visitors jumped into the water to swim, but when Wuttichai saw strong currents in the water he advised them to jump back on the raft.
He said the current then became so strong that the rope tethering the raft snapped causing it to crash against the neighbouring raft. The incident caused about Bt10,000 worth of damages.
Sirindhorn Dam official Sangwan Phromsamlee said the gate was closed as soon as officials learned about it being opened, adding that the incident will be investigated, and a solution sought to prevent a repeat.