Backpacker dies after falling from moving train on journey to ‘Death Island’
A backpacker was killed after falling from a moving train on Thailand’s notorious ‘Death Island’.
Ryan Joseph Ralph, 24, boarded the overnight train with British girlfriend Shona Morgan, 22, in Bangkok to reach the notorious Koh Tao island on Wednesday.
A couple of hours into the journey, the Canadian tourist left Shona sleeping while he went for a cigarette at the end of the carriage.
He is believed to have been injured in a fall from the train before being pulled briefly along the tracks.
Tragically, he was found dead the next day under a newly built platform at the Chet Samian Railway Station in Ratchaburi province.
Police believe Ryan fell and was struck by part of the concrete platform while the train was still moving, before dragging himself underneath to escape the wheels but he later passed out and died from blood loss.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Rathnont Kasemchaisit of the Photharam Police said: ‘The dead man was shirtless, wearing brown shorts and a necklace, and lying on his back with severe injuries on both of his legs.
‘He had in his pocket a wallet containing various documents and Thai banknotes.
‘From the preliminary investigation, there were no traces of assault. We believe he had been dead for at least five hours.
‘The Canadian did not die instantly. He managed to crawl under the platform, but died of blood loss later on.’
Ryan’s girlfriend Shona said she became worried when she woke up around an hour after he left and he was not on the train and could not be contacted.
She disembarked from the train and notified officers at the nearest police station at around 10:30 pm local time.
Authorities used the GPS tracker on Ryan’s phone to launch a search, scouring the 30km stretch of tracks from the Khlong Bang Tan Railway Station to the Ban Kluai Railway Station. However, they failed to locate him.
As the search resumed the following morning, Photharam Police Station officers received a report that the body of a dead foreigner had been found under the platform of the Chet Samian Railway Station.
Police arrived at the scene, where they found dried blood on the side of the platform and on gravel.
In the gap under the platform, Ryan was discovered splayed out on the dirt.
A pair of headphones, a smartphone, and sandals believed to belong to the deceased were also found nearby.
Cambodian rail worker Makala, 23, the man who discovered the body, said he often slept under the platform during his breaks. He added he was shocked and ran to inform his boss when he found the Canadian’s corpse that day.
He said: ‘The person was lying down, so I thought he was sleeping at first. When I took a closer look, he was not breathing. I was scared so I rushed to inform my supervisor about it.’
Authorities said that Ryan may have been struck on the leg by the platform, which had insufficient lighting and was only around 50 cm away from the train tracks.
Shona, 23, said he had been in Thailand since February 17, and she flew into the country shortly after to celebrate his birthday with him.
Ryan’s body was taken to the Forensic Institute for a post-mortem examination.
Police said they had given the details to the Canadian Embassy to inform his relatives of his death.
Thailand’s ageing trains have become notorious for their poor safety standards.
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