British tourist dies after firework accident in Central Pattaya

Pattaya –
A British tourist has been pronounced dead after a firework exploded last evening on Soi 13/2 in Central Pattaya.

Captain Nakarat Nonsrilard of the Pattaya City Police was notified of the incident at 12:30AM on Soi 13/2 near Second Road and the Miami gogo.

Police, emergency responders and The Pattaya News rushed to the scene.

The British man, 51, had sustained serious face injuries and was found at the scene in critical condition. He was named by Pattaya Police as Mr. Gary McLaren.

Despite the best efforts of medical staff he was later pronounced dead at the scene.

A large firework was found on the ground nearby and taken as evidence.

The faulty firework that is believed to have killed Mr. McLaren

A 24 year old witness, Ms. Wassana Nguantai, told The Pattaya News reporters that Mr. McLaren had tried to light the firework two times but failed. It is believed the firework was faulty and exploded on the ground while Mr. McLaren was attempting to light it a third time.

Pattaya Police are continuing thier investigation and contacting the British Embassy and relatives of Mr. McLaren. Officially, fireworks are against the law to be lit without a proper license and trained personnel but were widely available on New Year’s Eve, being sold by various street vendors across the city.

Written and photos by The Pattaya News.

Pattaya Police review the scene in question after Mr. McLaren was pronounced dead.
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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/