An American tourist has been rescued from a sewer in Thailand after falling into a manhole and wandering underground for hours.
According to the Bangkok Post, the person in the accident was an American tourist named Johnathan Vaimaona, 36 years old. He said he fell into the manhole while walking back to the hotel. He wandered in the sewers for hours looking for a way out and got lost. The incident took place on May 16 in the Jomtien area of Pattaya, a city famous for its nightlife in Thailand.
After many hours, the man’s cry for help was finally heard. Chalee Boonsri, a 26-year-old security guard, said he was the first to hear Vaimaona’s pleas from below.
“I was on my way to a convenience store to buy water when suddenly I heard a foreigner scream. I looked around but saw no one and when I looked down the sidewalk I saw a man peeking at me. from the sewer,” said Chalee Boonsri.
Rescuers used high-powered equipment to remove a bar and rescue Vaimaona in the sewer below. At this time, Vaimaona was shirtless, covered in mud and looked exhausted. He was then pulled to the surface and given water to drink.
Vaimaona said he was from Hawaii and was staying near a hotel when he fell. He couldn’t remember the name of the hotel but it was “Grand something” and “there are boats there”.
The man told police: “I just fell into a hole and I don’t know where I’m going. It feels like I’ve been there for days. I don’t remember what happened.”
According to Newsflare, police said they discovered the inconsistency in Vaimaona’s testimony after verifying immigration documents and would conduct a more thorough investigation into what happened.
