Shoddy electric earth claims life of tourist

9 Jan 2012

The simple action of taking a bottle of chilled water from a fridge has claimed the life of a tourist on Samui’s neighbouring island, Koh Phangan. Briton Grant Harrison, 36, had been sunbathing and was then electrocuted as he took the water out of a poolside fridge to cool down.

Mr Harrison, originally from Middlesbrough, had only arrived on Koh Phangan with his girlfriend a few days prior to his untimely death. Investigators allege that the fridge from which Mr Harrison got his water was live and had not been earthed correctly.

Mr Harrison was an avid Middlesbrough football club supporter and posted regularly on football forums under the pseudonym Grantus. Yesterday the site was inundated with messages of condolence for him.

Live electricity cables and water are a problem in Thailand. A number of the deaths in the north central regions of the country during the recent flooding disaster were attributed to the fact that live cables had been left dangling in water, or bare cables had come into contact with water, and people received fatal electric shocks.

Last August, 20-year-old Charles Thomas, also a Briton, was electrocuted on Phuket’s legendary Soi Bangla entertainment street. Investigations into his death proved inconclusive, with police only saying they believed he had come into contact with a live socket while it was raining.

In April, a Swedish couple were given a fatal shock while taking a shower at a bungalow in the Krabi resort precinct of Ao Nang.

Tags: Shoddy electric claims life