Latest news with #KohRachaYai
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Final moments of young Aussie who drowned in Thailand as his younger sister reveals the reason he was overseas with his mates
The sister of a young Aussie tourist who drowned in Thailand has revealed her older sibling had been celebrating with mates after finishing an intense training camp. Corey Walsh, 22, died last Tuesday after diving off a fishing charter boat while intoxicated near the tourist island of Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket. A week after Mr Walsh drowned, his younger sister Charleigh told he was with six of his best friends after completing a Muay Thai training camp they had been preparing for since January 1. 'We shared our whole childhood together. He was very caring and protective, as big brothers are,' Charleigh said. 'Corey would light up any room he walked into. He had a strong mindset and saw mistakes as growth. He will always be my best friend, his passing has left a void that cannot be filled. 'There was an unspoken loyalty that survived every argument, it was stronger than anything. Nothing was stronger than the love we had for each other.' Mr Walsh's intense training meant he had been sober for more than five months and he had just completed the first two weeks of his trip before his death. His five friends had arrived three days earlier and planned to celebrate his training camp with a chartered fishing trip. It is believed Mr Walsh, from Frankston in south-east Melbourne, was dragged underwater by strong currents before he drowned. Mr Walsh, who was due to return home this weekend, was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive, with tour conductors issuing a distress call for emergency services. Charleigh described her brother as 'very outgoing'. 'He was a bit of a s*** stirrer,' she said. 'He had his own personal slang. He'd come home and ask how your day was and if you said you'd had a bad day he'd ask you "are you loving it" over and over until you caved. 'He'd go to work on a Monday morning when the boys were all tired and he'd go around and say "are you loving it" to get under their skin.' A number of Mr Walsh's friends got 'forever loving it' tattooed on them in his memory. Charleigh said she was at work last week when she received the devastating news that her only sibling had died. 'I was at work on Tuesday and it was around 7pm. My parents had received a call from one of his friends that was with him,' she said. 'We're still waiting for his friends to get home to learn more about it. It doesn't feel real. I'm still in shock. 'The support we are receiving from family, friends and dozens of people we have never met has been helping us cope. We are so grateful for everyone.' A GoFundMe was set up to help Mr Walsh's family with funeral costs and other additional expenses. As of Tuesday morning it had raised just over $14,000 with the target set at $20,000. 'This is for a Corey, a young man who struck a lot of people's hearts for being a kind, caring and just a beautiful soul,' the GoFundMe page read.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Selfless': Aussie tradie remembered after tragic death in Thailand
An aspiring Australian Muay Thai boxer had been celebrating with friends after an intense training camp when he tragically drowned while swimming off a fishing charter boat in Thailand. Melbourne roof plumber Corey Walsh, 22, was swimming near the tourist island of Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket, last Tuesday when he was dragged under the water. In an emotional interview with Mr Walsh's younger sister Charleigh described her brother as 'selfless and loyal', revealing he had been on a much-anticipated holiday with six of his closest friends. He had travelled there with one of the group members to complete intense training at the Rattachai Muay Thai camp, which they had been preparing for since January 1. His strict training regimen meant he had been completely sober for more than five months. Corey was due to spend four weeks in Thailand and had just completed the first two weeks of his trip before his tragic death. The other five friends had arrived just three days earlier and planned to celebrate his achievements with a chartered fishing trip. Charleigh said she had grown up 'side-by-side' with her older brother. 'We shared our whole childhood together. He was very caring and protective, as big brothers are,' she said. 'Corey would light up any room he walked into. He had a strong mindset and saw mistakes as growth. He will always be my best friend, his passing has left a void that cannot be filled, Charleigh said. 'There was an unspoken loyalty that survived every argument, it was stronger than anything. Nothing was stronger than the love we had for each other,' she added. Charleigh laughed as she recalled her brother as being 'outgoing, very outgoing.' 'He was a bit of a s**tstirrer,' she said. 'He had his own personal slang. He'd come home and ask how your day was and if you said you'd had a bad day he'd ask you 'are you loving it' over and over until you caved. 'He'd go to work on a Monday morning when the boys were all tired and he'd go around and say 'are you loving it' to get under their skin,' she chuckled. She revealed his friends had 'forever loving it' tattooed in Corey's memory. Charleigh recalled she was at work last week when she received the devastating news that her only sibling had died. 'I was at work on Tuesday and it was around 7pm. My parents had received a call from one of his friends that was with him.' They told the Walsh family that 'Corey and his friends were on a fishing charter off the coast of Koh Racha Yai. 'They were fishing on the boat and celebrating their trip when they stopped to have lunch and go for a snorkel.' Charleigh said the family was still waiting on confirmation surrounding the exact circumstances of his death. 'We're still waiting for his friends to get home to learn more about it,' she said. She told that his six friends had struggled to get flights home and were 'traumatised' by the ordeal. Charleigh said she had also been stuck in a state of numbness since receiving the tragic news. 'It doesn't feel real. I'm still in shock.' 'The support we are receiving from family, friends and dozens of people we have never met has been helping us cope. We are so grateful for everyone,' she said. Colleagues from Corey's work have set-up a GoFundMe that has so far raised over $14,000. 'We would like to help his family and show how much love he brought to this world,' they said in a heartbreaking statement. Corey was due to return home this weekend.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
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'.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- News.com.au
22-year-old Aussie tourist tragically drowns in Thailand
A 22-year-old Australian tourist has drowned in Thailand after reportedly diving into the sea while drunk during a boat tour. Horrifying footage shows onlookers watching as medics perform CPR on the Melbourne man while on board a tourist boat on May 6. A medic can be seen rapidly pumping up and down on the young man's chest before stopping and appearing to let a colleague take over. The 22-year-old reportedly jumped off the Marinda 2 tour boat to swim off the coast of Koh Racha Yai, a popular destination for snorkelling and diving. He attempted to paddle in the water but was dragged underwater due to strong currents and inebriation. Medics were dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call from the boat operator at 2.28pm local time. They found the tourist unconscious and unresponsive on the deck and immediately administered CPR. Upon detecting a pulse, he was rushed to Chalong Hospital in Phuket. However, he was pronounced dead at 3.53pm. A boat trip from the island of Koh Racha Yai typically takes 45 minutes to 1 hour and an additional 15 minutes in a car to arrive at Chalong Hospital. Police lieutenant colonel Kanen Somrak of Chalong Police Station told local media the victim is an Australian national, adding there were seven foreign tourists, including the deceased. 'The victim had consumed a large amount of alcohol before entering the water. He was reportedly intoxicated and repeatedly jumped in and out of the sea before eventually drowning,' Mr Somrak said. 'No illegal substances were found at the scene. Only empty alcohol beverage bottles were discovered.' Authorities have contacted the Australian embassy to inform the young man's family of his death. His body is being kept at the Vachira Phuket Hospital as officials arrange his repatriation. has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment. Indonesia's notoriously dangerous beaches Just days earlier, A Chinese tourist was filmed in her final moments before tragically drowning while trying to retrieve a camera she dropped on a diving trip in Indonesia. Zhang Xiaohan, 30, went scuba diving to admire the corals and marine life off the remote Kabakan Island in East Kalimantan on May 2. However, the woman's GoPro camera she was using slipped from her hands as she was ascending almost eight metres through the waters She battled and tried to drag herself up the depths but was washed away by fast-flowing currents. Rescue teams, the local marine search agency Basarnas and soldiers were dispatched to comb the sea around the island. After repeated diving attempts, the holidaymaker's body was found 88 metres below the surface, near the popular Kelapa Dua diving route, at 2.55pm on Saturday, May 3. Indonesia's beaches, though stunning, pose several dangers including strong rip currents, rogue waves, and unpredictable tides that can make swimming perilous, especially for inexperienced swimmers. In August last year, university professor Dr James Hou Fu Liu, 62, from New Zealand drowned while snorkelling off a beach in Indonesia. While in September 2024, Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, was dragged away by the strong currents around Pulau Reong island off the coast of the country's Southwest Maluku Regency. She was believed to have been a victim of sharks before the remains of her body surfaced. A 2019 study showed that Indonesia experienced an average annual unintentional drowning mortality rate of 2.58 per 100,000 people – translating to approximately 4,500 deaths each year. Despite calls from the World Health Organisation for Indonesia to designate a lead agency to co-ordinate drowning prevention efforts, it is yet to establish these measures.
