Tourist dies while taking a selfie on Thailand’s ‘death railway’
December 28, 2022
An Irish tourist who was born in New Zealand died while trying to take a selfie on Thailand’s “death railway.”
Patrick Ward, 45, fell to his death from a moving train in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand on Tuesday.
Ward reportedly opened the door of the train to take a selfie. He then slipped and fell to the ground below the railway at Krasae Cave in Sai Yok district, according to reports.
Ward’s neck and right arm broke due to his fall. Although rescuers attempted to resuscitate him for around 30 minutes, he eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to reports.
The New Zealand Embassy had been informed to take custody of his body for his funeral, according to police.
The “death railway,” also known as the Thai-Burma Railway, was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian laborers and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese.
It was meant to move soldiers and weapons for Japan’s Burma campaign during World War II.
There were an estimated 180,000 to 250,000 civilians and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war who were forced to build the railway. Over 100,000 of them reportedly died.
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