Chatchawan Thongpia, who lived in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, is believed to have lost his balance before falling into a canal and tragically drowning on the first day of his Venice holiday
A British man died after falling into a canal on the first day of a holiday in Venice with his partner, an inquest heard today.
Chatchawan Thongpia, 31, is believed to have lost his balance while walking around the Italian city in the evening of November 3, 2025. The mechanical engineer, who was living in Scarborough but also said to reside at Brooklands Farm in Exeter, had travelled to the popular city for a five-day trip with his partner Samantha Lichfield.
An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court heard that on their first night there, Mr Thongpia left their hotel to go for a walk and smoke some CBD he had bought that day. Miss Lichfield said she decided to stay behind because they had been up since 2.30am.
In a statement, the woman said Mr Thongpia, who was born in Thailand, as going to find a quiet alley to smoke in so no one could smell it.
She said: “As time was going on I was getting more and more anxious, I didn’t expect him to be gone for very long.” The inquest heard that Miss Lichfield attempted to sleep but was woken up by the hotel receptionist who told her the police were downstairs.
A witness had been walking around Campo Santa Marina at around 6.30pm and saw a body in the water, the inquest heard. He tried to grab the person through the bars of a bridge, but could not hold on to him because of the strong current.
The witness then asked another family on the bridge to call the emergency services, who attended but could not resuscitate Mr Thongpia when his body was recovered.
The Italian police, in a report, said some of the British man’s movements were captured on CCTV, but not the moment he went into the canal. Cops said they believed he had “accidentally fallen into the water, presumably after losing his balance” and was moved tens of metres because of the strong current.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Thongpia did not have any injuries that suggested he had been assaulted, or that there was any third party involvement in his death. A cannabinoid was found in his system, which the pathologist said was likely to have been consumed three hours earlier.
His report added that it was “possible but not probable” that this had caused the tourist’s motor skills to be impaired. His medical cause of death was drowning.
Coroner Catherine Devereux said police believed Mr Thongpia may have leaned against a railing and accidentally fallen into the water. But she told the hearing: “No one witnessed how he came to be in the canal that evening.” The coroner recorded an open conclusion.
