An Israeli man was killed in a motorcycle accident on the Thai island of Koh Samui overnight Monday, marking the third deadly incident involving Israeli citizens in Thailand this month.
Shai Pinto, 51, from the community of Omen in northern Israel’s Gilboa region, lost control of his motorcycle and was fatally struck by a pickup truck moments later, according to Thai media reports. The crash reportedly involved two other vehicles. Pinto was pronounced dead at the scene.
ZAKA International Division director Baruch Nidam said local volunteers in Thailand coordinated with the victim’s family and the Foreign Ministry to arrange the repatriation of Pinto’s body for burial in Israel.
Pinto is survived by his wife, Dorin, and their two children — a 22-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter. Relatives described him as a quiet, hard-working gas infrastructure contractor and devoted family man who provided tirelessly for his loved ones.
According to family members, Pinto was closely involved in his children's lives, supported families in need and took particular care to help his daughter, a student at a gifted boarding school. His son, recently discharged from the IDF, was scheduled to fly to Brazil later this week.
“It hit us like thunder on a clear day,” said Pinto’s brother-in-law, Shon.
The tragedy comes just days after another Israeli, Rostislav Noam Mirson, 22, a career serviceman in the Israeli Air Force, was killed in a separate motorcycle crash in northern Thailand while vacationing with friends. Mirson, a resident of Nahariya, was laid to rest Sunday at the city's military cemetery. The Nahariya municipality issued condolences to his parents, Ksenia and Alex, and to his brother, Sasha.
Earlier this month, Yuval Cohen, 23, also died following a traffic accident in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Declared brain-dead after the crash, he was flown back to Israel at his family's request to fulfill his wish of becoming an organ donor. His heart, liver and kidneys were transplanted to save the lives of several patients in need.
Cohen was one of 10 Israeli passengers in the minibus involved in the accident. Five of them, all in their twenties, were injured.