A man, his daughter, and three grandchildren drowned “hugging each other” in a river after being swallowed by quicksand.
The tragedy took place as the family members collected sand to renovate their house.
After they failed to return home, other relatives went to the scene and found their parked vehicle but no trace of their missing loved ones.
After they reported their disappearance to the authorities, rescue workers and an underwater team were dispatched to the scene.
After 45 minutes of searching, all five bodies had been recovered from the Mun River in Satuek District, lower north-eastern Thailand, on Monday (11 Dec)
The unnamed victims are a 45-year-old man, his 23-year-old daughter, and three grandchildren aged eight, 11, and 14.
The authorities believe they died from drowning in the metres-deep river, after getting stuck in quicksand.
The first two bodies found were apparently “hugging each other”, local media report.
Heartbreaking photos show a pink school bag, a football, and a Hello Kitty soft toy laid out with other belongings along the riverbank.
The bodies can also be seen covered in white sheets as they lie in a row on the sand.
Experts say that if you get stuck in quicksand, you should lean back so your body’s weight is distributed over a wider area.
They add that slow back-and-forth movements can let water into the cavity around a trapped limb, loosening the wet sand’s hold.
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