An unnamed British tourist (pending notification of next-of-kin), 20, was electrocuted and killed early today on the Thai island of Phuket, following torrential rain that left water at least knee-deep. According to witnesses, the victim was electrocuted when he was moving through water in which "hot" downed electrical cables had fallen. Obviously, this occurred before the Phuket Provincial Electric Authority could turn off power in the area. To further complicate the situation, power interruptions were reported throughout most of the island's west coast.
COMMENT: Unfortunately, in most developing countries, and particularly small islands where the infrastructure is NOT well-maintained or state-of-the-art, freak accidents are commonplace. The best advice for tourists when they experience an area that has sustained heavy rain over a short period of time, is to stay in their hotel or wherever they happen to be. If it raining heavily, return to your hotel. If there is knee-deep water outside, avoid it, given the risk of "hot" downed cables. You'll never know whether there are downed cables or not, so when it starts to rain heavily, seek safety indoors where it is dry.
One reason I often urge travelers to stay in rooms above the ground level is to be above flood levels. Another downside of walking in knee-deep water, particularly bare-footed, is one's risk of infection from contaminated water. And, in Thailand, of course, with many very poisonous snakes being able to swim, that poses yet another risk.
COMMENT: Unfortunately, in most developing countries, and particularly small islands where the infrastructure is NOT well-maintained or state-of-the-art, freak accidents are commonplace. The best advice for tourists when they experience an area that has sustained heavy rain over a short period of time, is to stay in their hotel or wherever they happen to be. If it raining heavily, return to your hotel. If there is knee-deep water outside, avoid it, given the risk of "hot" downed cables. You'll never know whether there are downed cables or not, so when it starts to rain heavily, seek safety indoors where it is dry.
One reason I often urge travelers to stay in rooms above the ground level is to be above flood levels. Another downside of walking in knee-deep water, particularly bare-footed, is one's risk of infection from contaminated water. And, in Thailand, of course, with many very poisonous snakes being able to swim, that poses yet another risk.
