Sydney man dies in Laos river accident
A young Sydney man has died after leaping into a river while tubing in Laos.
The man was experiencing the popular river entertainment of floating along on an inner tube.
An eyewitness. who saw the accident in the riverside town of Vang Vieng, said the man jumped from a tower and landed badly in the river.
“He jumped into the river, which is what everyone does, but there was no first aid and no one knew what to do.
"He was taken to hospital in a tuk tuk. It was shocking.”
The eyewitness, quoted by The Age, claimed 22 people have died in the same river, although there has been no official confirmation of the claim.
“it's all good fun, drinking and dancing by the river, but when you add the free whisky, tubing and slides, it's really dangerous,” said the eyewitness.
There were several online comments to the story on The Age website.
One read: “It's backpacker made-up fun, not an official park/tourist attraction. The locals authorities will probably shut it down due to risks and complaints from locals.”
Another wrote: “It may all look like sunshine and lollipops or free whiskey and tubing – use your head a bit.”
Ian Jarrett
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