15-year-old Thai student found dead in hotel bathroom

A 15 year-old student from Thailand was found dead under mysterious conditions in a hotel in Kurseong.

Two of his friends were also found unconscious in an adjacent room.

A group from Bangkok, Thailand had arrived at Darjeeling district's Kurseong on Tuesday.

The group consisted of nine persons including four students (three boys and a girl).

They were seeking admission at Himali Boarding School in Kurseong.

Narrating the incident Planrunphupha, mother of the deceased stated: "In the morning, my son had gone to the washroom for a bath while my daughter was in bed. I went to check on the others in the floor above."

"On returning, I found that my son was still in the washroom. As we had to go to the school for admissions and were getting late, I knocked on the washroom door asking him to hurry up," she said.

When there was no response from her son, the woman forced open the washroom door.

"I saw him lying on the floor unconscious with the shower still running. I shouted for help and together, we lifted him on the bed and gave him CPR and rushed him to the hospital" said the mother.

Two other Thai students Archavapong Artaumbauy (14 years) and Pakin Tsantsirametkakul (14 years) both from Bangkok were found unconscious in another room.

They too were rushed to the Kurseong sub divisional hospital.

"15-year-old Koetsirikunwong of Soiprachautid, 79 Thungkvu, Bangkok was declared brought dead by the hospital. His body has been sent to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital near Siliguri for post-mortem.

The other two who were taken ill have also been referred to the NBMCH. The police have initiated a case and are investigating" stated Amit P Javalgi, Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling.

The mother of the deceased feels that it could be a toxic fume behind the death.

"Last evening another Thai woman who was part of the group had complained of suffocation. She was feeling breathless" alleged Planrunphupha.

The management of Cochrane Place- the hotel in which the Thai group were putting up stated that they had received no such complaint in the evening.

"If they would have told us we could have investigated and even got medical help" stated the management staff.