Thai man freezes to death after giving his blankets to daughter

One Thai man's attempt to keep his daughter warm at night ended in tragedy when he froze to death after giving her all of his blankets.

Prasarn Homthong, 38, was discovered dead by his eight-year-old daughter, Panwira Noipha, on Dec 7 morning when he did not respond to her attempts to wake him up, said Thai media reports.

The temperature in Bueng Kan province, located in the northeast of Thailand, had dropped to 9 degrees Celsius that night, but Homthong only had three blankets to keep himself warm.

Construction on his one-storey house was also not fully completed and it reportedly did not have doors and windows.

Thinking that he could endure the frigid weather, Homthong gave all the blankets in the house to her, Noipha told reporters.

Homthong ended up sleeping on a mat, clad in just a long-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Noipha placed a blanket over her father after she woke up in the middle of the night and saw him curled up from the cold. But he was dead by morning.

A medical examiner said that Homthong had died as his body could not adjust to the drop in temperature at night.

According to Homthong's relatives, he did not have any medical issues before his death.

Homthong, who was divorced, also lived with his elder daughter Natharin Homthong, 14, who was at a relative's house that night.

While tragic, Homthong's death is not unusual.

Thailand's cold spells often result in cases of hypothermia, flu and respiratory illnesses.

In 2017, a man from Chaiyaphum province died from hypothermia after going to sleep with three fans blowing cool air at him, not knowing that the temperature would drop further at night.

The Thai Meteorological Department predicts cool weather this month, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 22 degrees Celsius in the northern and northeastern regions, and 6 to 12 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com