An American tourist was found trapped in a stormwater drain in Thailand this week — after a passerby heard him yelling for help.
Jonathan Ioane Vaimaona, 36, told authorities he became stuck after falling into a drain in the Jomtien area on Tuesday, the Pattaya News reported.
He said he was trapped underground for several hours before a passerby, later identified as local security guard Chalee Boonsri, heard his cries for help, according to the Bangkok Post.
Boonsri told authorities he was on his way to buy soda around 7:30 p.m. when he heard yelling but couldn’t see where it was coming from.
He eventually looked down through the grill over the nearby drain and saw a man peering back up at him.
The security guard alerted police and rescue crews managed to lift the metal grate off the drain and free the man around 8 p.m.
Vaimaona was stuck roughly five feet below the street in a sewer drain pipe that was just about two feet wide, The Pattaya News reported.
Photos taken just after the rescue show the American traveler shirtless and covered in sludge.
He didn’t appear to be physically injured but he was said to be exhausted and somewhat disoriented.
The rescue team escorted him to a police station to receive further assistance.
Vaimaona had arrived in the Southeast Asian country with his girlfriend just a few days earlier on May 12.
