A schoolboy tragically drowned in a pond just hours before his surprise birthday party in Thailand.

Pannawat Srinuan, 7, left his house to invite friends to play in the village of Pang Khao in Phrae province on October 26 afternoon.

However, evening came and the youngster was nowhere to be found, despite his family waiting to greet him at home with a feast and a cake decorated with his favorite - cherries and oranges.

His worried grandmother, Kanya Songjohor, 47, called the police when villagers found the boy's slippers floating in a deep pond near her backyard.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Nakorn Khamnon of the Denchai Police Station said cops received a report at 7pm.

Divers were dispatched to search the 16ft deep murky waters. They surfaced 30 minutes later carrying Pannawat's lifeless body.

The police chief said: 'We have inspected the scene and interrogated the victim's relatives about the accident, and they do not doubt the cause of death.

'We have handed over the boy's body to the doctors at Somdej Phra Yupparat Denchai Hospital for a thorough post-mortem exam.'

Grandmother Kanya said she had picked up her grandson to stay at her house a week ago so they could spend time together.

She said the family had prepared a surprise dinner for his seventh birthday, which would also be attended by his friends in the neighbourhood.

She said: 'Before we could celebrate, he went missing at around 2pm. I thought he was only playing outside since he liked to go into the village to play.'

Pannawat's aunt Butsaba Jidsomcheep, 42, said: 'The cake was ready but my nephew was still missing. We knew something had happened when we found his slippers in the pond.'

In Thailand, drowning in ponds, reservoirs, and rivers is a significant public health issue, particularly for young children. These water bodies often lack safety features like fencing, warning signs, and life-saving equipment, which increases the risk of accidental drownings.

The Ministry of Public Health found that drowning is the leading cause of death among children under 15, with deep ponds and reservoirs being major hazards due to their accessibility and sometimes unpredictable water depths.

Data shows that around 1,500 people drown annually in the country and a large proportion of those cases involve young children who accidentally fall into water retention structures or ponds near their homes.