A local Thai official employed a crane to go down into a sewer and get back a winning lottery ticket that a woman had mistakenly dropped.
Key points:
- The event, which was captured on video, took place in the Ban Dan district of Buriram province in northeastern Thailand on Saturday, as reported by Thai media Sanook.
- The video shows the official being lowered into a manhole by a crane, and later smiling broadly upon seeing that the lottery ticket was not damaged.
The details:
- The 54-year-old ticket owner was on her way to collect her prize when she made a stop at a store to buy water. Her ticket, which had three winning numbers, slipped out from her pocket while she was reaching for cash.
- The ticket was then swept by wind toward the sewer. A nearby police officer noticed the distressed woman and called for help.
- Several officials responded to the call, bringing a crane with them. One of them volunteered to be lowered into the 2-meter (6.5-foot) drain to retrieve the ticket.
- Thankfully, the sewer was dry due to the hot weather. The ticket was retrieved successfully, and the woman was able to collect her prize.
- With her 4,000 baht (approximately $108) prize, the woman bought sodas for the officials who assisted her as a gesture of appreciation.
- Speaking to reporters, she shared that it was the first time she had ever won anything in the lottery despite playing regularly. The woman said she would have been unable to eat or sleep if the ticket had been damaged.
Reactions:
- Netizens praised the officials for helping the woman in her time of need. One Facebook user commented, “Even though it’s not a large sum of money, I’m impressed by the generosity of the Thai people who help each other. I admire and thank you on behalf of auntie.”
- “You are very cute, officer. Such a big heart. Thank you to everyone who showed kindness to Auntie,” another user wrote.
- “The value of kindness is not determined by how much or how little, cheap or expensive,” another noted.
