King grants royal wreath to dead cyclist
His Majesty the King has given a royal wreath to the family of a 59-year-old cyclist who fainted, fell off his bicycle and later died while taking part Sunday’s “Bike Un Ai Rak” cycling event in the southern province of Surat Thani.
Surat Thani provincial governor, Wichawut Jinto, said yesterday he that was contacted by the Royal Household Bureau regarding the King’s decision to grant the family of Sitthichai Banchoetsuk, the dead cyclist, the royal wreath as well as five sets of pha trai monk robes and a coffin.
In addition to that, he said, a royally sponsored cremation ceremony will be held this Sunday for the dead cyclist at Wat Don Kathin in Surat Thani, which is a great honour for the family of Sitthichai, said Mr Wichawut.
Sitthichai worked as a train driver for the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). According to an informed source, he was suffering from high blood pressure, which is believed to be the underlying cause of his fatal accident during Sunday’s event.
A medical team had tried to resuscitate him but he died about an hour after fainting and falling off his bicycle.
The Public Health Ministry revealed yesterday that two people died and 129 people sustained serious health problems during Sunday’s nationwide cycling event, in which 536,390 people took part.
A total of 32,486 event participants sought first aid and medical services during the event, said the ministry.
Most of them did not require hospitalisation, except for the 129 people who had sustained serious injuries or developed critical medical conditions, two of who died, according to the information released by the ministry.
A total of 746 first aid spots and 1,014 first aid units were set up at Sunday’s cycling event, while a total of 3,240 ambulances were deployed to ensure the safety of the participants, said the ministry.
Some 12,695 health care staff including 428 medical doctors and 2,660 nurses were present at the event to take care of injured people or those who fell sick.
A total of 4,214 volunteers also worked to support the medical care staff on Sunday.