A funeral in eastern Thailand turned deeply emotional after a 25-year-old man weighing 198kg had to be cremated using an open-air pyre after the temple’s crematorium was unable to handle his body.
The cremation took place on May 3, 2026, at Wat Nai Rai in Mueang district, where mourners gathered to bid farewell to Mr Chanathip, also known as “Nott”.
According to reports, the deceased’s body exceeded the capacity of the temple’s cremation furnace due to his size, forcing officials to carry out a traditional open-air cremation method instead.
Family members and friends were seen in tears as they gathered at the site, where a wooden pyre was prepared using firewood, charcoal and oil as fuel for the ceremony.
Temple officials erected screens around the area to provide privacy and reduce the emotional impact on grieving relatives during the final rites.
Authorities noted that open-air cremation, once common in the past, is now rarely used and is typically reserved for special circumstances when modern crematoriums cannot accommodate a body.
The sombre ceremony left a strong emotional impact on attendees, who described the farewell as heartbreaking as they paid their final respects to the young man.
