A shrimp farm turned into a horror scene yesterday after a worker’s leg was mangled by a water aerator in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district.
Emergency responders from the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation (Loma Khok Kloy) and a medical team from Takua Thung Hospital rushed to the scene at 11.57am yesterday, August 6, following a report of a man trapped in machinery at a shrimp pond in Baan Thong Lang, Village 4, Lo Yung subdistrict.
The call came from Chaisak Phetsuk, who alerted rescue personnel after discovering the injured man struggling inside the machinery on the 10-rai shrimp farm.
Rescue teams arrived to find 36 year old Sai Phone, a Myanmar national, conscious but in severe pain. His right leg had become tightly lodged in the spinning shaft of a pond aerator—a mechanical device used to oxygenate water to maintain shrimp health.
“He had a deep laceration and was stuck inside the machine,” a rescue worker said. “We had to carefully cut through the metal shaft without causing further injury.”
Paramedics worked alongside rescue staff to administer saline and stabilise Sai Phone’s condition while firefighters performed a surgical cut on the shaft to free his leg.
After an intense operation, he was finally released from the machine and immediately rushed to Takua Thung Hospital for emergency treatment. His current condition has not been officially released.
Officials are investigating whether safety protocols were in place at the time of the incident. It’s unclear whether protective covers or emergency shut-off systems were installed on the aerator, The Phuket News reported.
While shrimp farming is a major industry in southern Thailand, workplace safety at smaller operations often goes unmonitored. Incidents involving machinery are not uncommon, particularly in rural ponds where workers may not receive formal safety training.
Officials have yet to comment on whether charges or fines will be issued in connection with the incident.
The rescue foundation praised the swift response by medics and volunteers but stressed that stricter safety enforcement is crucial to prevent future accidents.
“We urge all farm operators to inspect their equipment and provide proper safety training to prevent these tragic incidents.”
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