by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:33 PM ET, Mon June 1, 2015
Image courtesy of Thinkstock
For many thrill-seekers, bungee jumping is the natural high they are looking for, but tragedy struck in Thailand last Wednesday when a man visiting the country from Kuwait was killed when his ankle straps broke and he fell 200 feet.
According to Prasit Tarnsirisin of PhuketWan.com, 25-year-old Abdullah Adel Kadhmbadman was on vacation by himself when he decided to jump from the highest bungee in Phuket, Thailand.
At 4 p.m. local time, Kadhmbadman spent 1,650 baht ($48.99 in the United States) to take a dive from the top of a crane over a safety pond. While the initial dive was successful, when he was launched back into the air during the rebound, the ankle straps broke and he plummeted head first toward the ground just feet from the water.
Instead of calling an ambulance for the man, the workers at the site reportedly loaded his body into the back of a pickup truck and transported him to a local hospital. Workers did not initially tell the hospital how the man was injured, but finally admitted it was a bungee accident when it was discovered the man had a broken neck and ribs.
Kadhmbadman was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Patong mayor Chalermluk Kebsub told PhuketWan.com that the jump was closed immediately after authorities learned of the death, and she remained adamant that her administration had demanded equipment inspections and upgrades last year.
In the most shocking news of the entire ordeal, the owner of the property, Khun Vinat, acknowledged that for the last 13 years, the company had been running the bungee jump without registration, permission, or insurance.
Local police confiscated the defective bungee cord and have sent it to Bangkok where it will be investigated by experts.
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