BREAKING NEWS Aussie tourist who died in Thailand after holiday turned to tragedy is identified
A 22-year-old tradie from Melbourne has been identified as the young male tourist who died while on a boating tour in Thailand.
Corey Walsh was on a boating tour off the coast of Phuket when he dove off the Marinda 2 tour boat while intoxicated on Tuesday.
Mr Walsh, who was a roof plumber from Frankston, was reportedly intoxicated when he jumped into the water near Koh Racha Yai - a popular destination for snorkelling.
It is believed the 22-year-old was dragged underwater due to a strong current despite his efforts to paddle and stay afloat.
Mr Walsh was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive, with tour conductors issuing a distress call for emergency services about 2.28pm local time.
Medics immediately administered CPR on the young traveller while on the deck of the boat before rushing him to Chalong Hospital in Phuket.
However, despite their efforts, staff at the hospital pronounced Mr Walsh dead at 3.53pm.
The boat trip from the island of Koh Racha Yai can take between 45 minutes to one hour, with an additional 15 minute car ride from the port to Chalong Hospital.
Friends have shared heartbreaking tributes, with many describing him as a genuine young man with a 'beautiful soul'.
Mr Walsh's friend Zack Williams described the young tradie as a 'one of a kind friend' in a touching post shared to social media.
'There was seriously not a time you didn't have a smile on your face, and the way you could bring everyone else's moods up was insane,' Mr Williams wrote.
Another friend wrote: 'you are the most genuine and outgoing person I know who could make everyone smile in the smoko sheds in a Monday morning'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Pennsylvania scientist and boy, 3, found dead in car outside picture-perfect home
A scientist and her young have been found dead in a car outside their home in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Agnes Dawidowicz, 42, and her 3-year-old son Charlie were discovered unresponsive in a vehicle parked on the 2000 block of Barley Drive in Bucks County on Tuesday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene at around 5pm. The cause and manner of death for both mother and child have not yet been determined. The case remains under investigation. According to her LinkedIn profile Dawidowicz was an employee at Almac Clinical Technologies in Lansdale, Montgomery County, where she had worked for almost 15 years. Neighbors in the residential area expressed shock and sadness over the loss. One local resident told Fox29 that their child would play with Charlie.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
TikTok star Emilie Kiser wasn't home when toddler son drowned
TikTok star Emilie Kiser wasn't home when her three-year-old son fatally drowned in the family's backyard pool, a source told Kiser, a popular mommy blogger, lost her son Trigg on May 18 - six days after he was found unresponsive in a backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona. Before it was confirmed that Trigg, who was often featured in his mother's viral videos, was the child who died, many speculated online about him being the victim. Once news broke that he was the boy who drowned, a 'media frenzy' unleashed as internet sleuths and fans of Kiser took it upon themselves to request records - including videos - in relation to his death, the source said. She then filed a lawsuit a week after his passing against several agencies in Maricopa County to block private information from getting out to the public. On June 4, the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County ruled in her favor, granting her temporary confidentiality, meaning evidence will not be released while the court makes its final ruling on the tragedy. The 26-year-old mother's declaration 'reflects an intensely personal account of her grief and trauma' that was 'submitted to help the court understand her perspective - not for public consumption,' per the source. In her motion, Kiser specifically urged the court to keep not just detailed records of Trigg's death private, but also footage as '100+ public records requests' for the video have come in, according to the source. The intense amount of records requests 'only serves to satisfy morbid curiosity more than any type of justice,' they added. Kiser 'should not be forced to relive the aftermath through viral footage,' the source stated. 'The motions behind the push for release are concerning. In many cases, requests appear to be driven by monetization and notoriety, not accountability,' they continued. 'That is not a valid justification for invading a family's grief.' Since news of her legal filing came out, many online have speculated that Kiser chose to do so as a way to cover up information, but according to the source, that is completely false. 'Emilie has fully cooperated with investigators. The focus here is not on withholding information, but on safeguarding the dignity of a child and allowing a grieving family the space and privacy to heal.' The source also revealed chilling details on what Kiser and her family are going through as 'rabid fans' have swarmed her home and tried to reach out to them. 'Rabid fans and media have surrounded Emilie's home, filmed through her windows, and sent unsolicited packages' they said. Kiser has four million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram, but according to the source, her 'public profile does not negate her right to privacy, nor does it make her son's death a matter for public consumption. 'Being online should not strip someone of basic human decency.' Following the tragic ordeal, a neighbor told that the influencer's house was swarmed with five police cars. Emergency responders arrived and performed life-saving efforts until Trigg was airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for specialized care. Kiser hasn't posted since the tragedy, but her followers have continued to flood her accounts with messages of support and condolences before she turned off her comment sections. Meanwhile, her husband Brady Kiser, Trigg's father, made his accounts private following his death. Kiser or her legal representation haven't reviewed the police report, security camera footage, scene photos, 911 recording, or autopsy photos, per the lawsuit. Kiser and Brady first became parents in July 2021 when they welcomed their son Trigg. Just over two years later, in September 2024, the couple revealed they were expecting their second child. In March, the Kiser family officially grew by one with the arrival of their second son, Theodore. 'Emilie is trying her best to be there for her surviving son, two-month-old Theodore. But every day is a battle,' the suit said. The Chandler Police Department told the case is still under investigation.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Families of those killed in collapse of Georgia ferry dock sue companies that built it
Relatives of seven people who drowned in waters off a Georgia island after a ferry dock walkway collapsed announced Wednesday they filed a lawsuit against the companies that designed and built it. Dozens of people were standing on the metal walkway over the water between a ferry boat and a dock on Sapelo Island when it snapped in the middle. Many plunged into the water and got swept away by tidal currents, while others clung desperately to the hanging, fractured structure. The tragedy Oct. 19 struck as about 700 people visited Sapelo Island for a celebration of the tiny Hogg Hummock community founded by enslaved people who were emancipated after the Civil War. Reachable only by boat, it's one of the few Gullah-Geechee communities remaining in the South, where slaves worked on isolated island plantations retained much of their African heritage. 'It was supposed to be a celebration of Black pride, but it became a day of great, great, great Black loss of humanity and life,' civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of several lawyers behind the lawsuit, told an Atlanta news conference. 'We're filing this lawsuit to speak to that tragedy.' Attorneys for the families of those killed and more than three dozen survivors say the 80-foot (24-meter) walkway was weak because of a lack of structural reinforcement, poor welding and failure by the Georgia firm that built it to follow design plans. The walkway was 'so poorly designed and constructed that any competent construction professional should have recognized the flimsy and unstable nature of the gangway,' the lawsuit says. Regina Brinson, one of the suing survivors, said she was on the crowded walkway when she heard a loud crack and saw family friend Carlotta McIntosh plunge into the water holding her walker. Brinson and her uncle, Isaiah Thomas, also fell. Brinson recalled prying her uncle's fingers from her shirt to avoid being dragged underwater. Both Thomas and McIntosh died. 'The pain doesn't get any easier whatsoever,' Brinson told the Atlanta news conference. Kimberly Wood said she tumbled from the collapsed walkway clutching her 2-year-old daughter. Her older girl, 8, clung to the dangling walkway's railing. Wood said she managed to tread water until she reached a life preserver tossed from the ferry boat. Her older daughter was rescued and treated for wounds to her hand, said Wood, who had an injured shoulder. 'I'm shaking now just taking about it,' said Wood, another plaintiff. The lawsuit targets four private contractors hired to design and rebuild the ferry dock and walkway for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The project was finished in 2021. The walkway was fabricated by McIntosh County business Crescent Equipment Co. Its attorney, Clinton Fletcher, declined to comment. The project's general contractor, Virginia-based Centennial Contractors Enterprises, said by email that it doesn't comment on pending litigation. Architecture and engineering firms also named as defendants did not immediately comment. The lawsuit doesn't target the Department of Natural Resources or any other Georgia state agency. It says the department relied on its private contractors to ensure the walkway was safely built, which was "beyond the scope of the DNR's internal expertise and qualifications.' The agency told The Associated Press last year that the walkway should have been able to support the weight of 320 people. About 40 people were standing on it when it snapped. 'There was supposed to be a certified professional engineer that signed off on that part of the project and that was neglected," said Chadrick Mance, a Savannah attorney representing nine of the injured. Filed in Gwinnett County State Court in metro Atlanta, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, wrongful deaths and personal injuries. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation by the state officials, said Haley Chafin, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources. State Attorney General Chris Carr also tapped a private engineering firm to perform an independent investigation. ___ Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. ___
