Koon Khmer

His body was found on the afternoon of July 13 2017 at 2.45PM.

The incident happened on July 13 2017 around 9AM at 'Hay Thay bungalow' which is located in O'Tooch village, Andong Khmer commune, Kampot city.

Friends identified the victim as Steven Griffith, 21 years old.
The victim checked in about 2 weeks ago.

While swimming he suddenly went underwater while waiving for help (they only noticed the end of his hands, possibly finger tops).
The 2 owners of the place jumped into the water but all help came too late; the victim disappeared in the river.

According to the victim's FB-page he was coming from Weston-super-Mare and working as a bartender at on Koh Rong island, Cambodia.
The victim was born on June 11 1996 which makes him 21 years old.

More info will follow.

Must be in Kampot.

Topic title changed accordingly.

says that the victim, accompanied by some other tourists, drowned in the creek/canal after 'a normal jump in the water'. The incident happened around 9.40AM.

According to Rowan Steele Aubrey, a friend of the victim: The group checked in in High Tide Guesthouse about 2 weeks ago and the victim used to jump in the river as some other tourists/visitors used to do as well.

During the morning and before having a swim and riding/floating on some inflatable water toys (possibly inner tubes) the victim and his friend(s) sat down for a coffee and a chat.
It was lightly raining at the time of the incident.

(Graphic Warning!)

Reminds me about this story:

The body was found under the water; 10meters south of the guesthouse.

KOH says that (just) before drowning in the tidal flow the inner tube slipped (to let slip, let go of a handhold) out of the victim's hands.

From the news agency ViralPress who spoke to Steven's father last night.

According to Steven's dad, also named Steven, the backpacker could not swim.

The father-of-three, a bar tender from Weston Super Mere, said: ‘’Steven had a young brother and younger sister who absolutely adored him. They’re distraught, I’m distraught, his friends and work colleagues are. Everyone who knew him is devastated.

‘’How is someone supposed to come to terms with this? My son has just died, he was only 21. I can’t even process what has happened.

‘’We had lost contact for a number of years after me and his mother separated. But he came back into my life and we were close, like any father and son.

‘’He couldn’t swim. What on earth he was doing in a river I don’t know. Even on holiday in Tenerife he would only go in the shallow end.

‘’Who the hell let him go in the water? What was he doing in that situation and why did nobody stop him? These are answers we’ll never know. Right now I can't accept that he just drowned like that, as he couldn't even swim.''

Friend Rowan Steele who had been travelling with Steven told police Steven had used the inflatable rings - a popular activity in rivers in South East Asia - a number of times before and ‘’didn’t know why this happened this time.''

^^ Absolutely shocking story to say the least.

So far 2 newspapers (I'll refrain from posting links due to the graphic content) are posting that the victim went alone in the water. (បាន​ចុះ​លេង​ទឹក​ព្រែក​កំពត​ម្នាក់ឯង)

A post-mortem examination found the cause of dead to be drowning.

At the request of the British embassy the victim's body is being kept at the morgue of the Russian Hospital (in Phnom Penh).