The Dutchman’s Thai wife raised the alarm at dusk when her husband failed to return from his afternoon walk with his dog yesterday. Up to 20 people joined a local rescue team to search for the foreigner later which was called off late into the night. Locals, at a water lake adjacent to the office of the Provincial Water Authority in Krabi this morning, sighted the body of the man floating in the water and his dog standing guard at the edge.
A Thai wife in Krabi is mourning her 84 year old Dutch husband after he never returned from his daily walk yesterday with his dog. After the man did not return by sunset yesterday evening, she raised the alarm and called in a local rescue foundation. But a search of the local area that went on until late last night turned up nothing. At 8 am this morning however, locals near the water pond about 1 km from the man’s home spotted the body of the octogenarian floating on the surface. His American Shepherd dog was found still waiting at the edge for its master’s return.
The life of a Dutch man, living in Krabi Thailand, came to end yesterday when he appears to have died from drowning at a local lake used by local authorities for producing tap water. The body of the man was found by locals this morning at 8 am after a search for the European foreigner, reported missing last night, was wound down late in the evening after the alarm was raised by his Thai wife following his failure to return home by sunset.
Dutchman set off yesterday for his daily walk accompanied by his American Shepherd dog
The man has been named as 84 year old Charles Haarlemmermeer. He set off yesterday at 4 pm for his daily walk with his American shepherd dog according to his wife. When the man was found early this morning floating in a local water lagoon or pond, his faithful dog was found still waiting at the water’s edge for its master. Police say that they believe that he had been dead for at least 8 hours before his body was discovered on Tuesday. The water facility is in a beautiful setting. It looks like a calm river with a walkway adjacent to it. Local gathered near the water edge today in shock at the man’s death.
Police suspect the man fell into the water area by accident or wanted to swim in the hot weather
The lake is located near the Krabi Provincial Water Authority’s offices. Officials believe that the elderly Dutch man may have gone swimming in the pond due to the hot weather or that he may, somehow, have fallen in. The weather yesterday was very warm and officials have also speculated that he may have fainted or become disorientated.
Large slippery canvass would have made it difficult to climb out if Dutch man had fallen in
Thai police have also expressed a theory that if the man had fallen into water area accidentally, then a large canvas at the bottom and sides of the enclosed water area may have made it extremely difficult for the octogenarian to climb out. Thai police have pointed out that the edges of the canvass were quite slippery.
Pond area used for producing tap water
The water pond or lake is used for the production of drinking water. It is situated approximately 1 km from the Dutch man’s home in Krabi. According to Thai police, the man’s wife Pikul Srisomjit told them that he had left yesterday at 4 pm to go for his daily walk with his American Shepherd dog. When he did not return by dusk, she raised the alarm and called in a local rescue group to begin a search for her husband.
Krabi hospital to perform an autopsy
Locals who spotted the body this morning immediately alerted the local police station in Krabi. The body of the Dutchman was removed by emergency services and taken to Krabi hospital where an autopsy will be carried out to establish the cause of death.
