A young influencer has died after drinking a rare bottle of whisky for money.
Thanakarn Kanthee, 21, also known as ‘Bank Leicester’ on social media, died at a hospital in Thailand. He died after accepting a dare to drink the lethal alcohol.
Kanthee was known for accepting dares so that he could earn money for his family. This challenge would see him earn £700.
Kanthee was reportedly at a party at the time of the incident, with people filming him and cheering him on. He began to look unwell soon after drinking the bottle and allegedly vomited before being rushed to a hospital.
A video filmed at the scene showed partygoers laughing after Kanthee had taken on the dare but the situation quickly became serious and after being taken to hospital he was pronounced dead at around 3.40am on 26 December.
The Mirror reports that the social media star, from Bangkok, has been inundated with messages on his profile from devastated fans. Many have expressed their concern for his grandmother, who raised him after his parents separated when he was just two-months-old.
At the age of seven, Kanthee started selling garlands at a flea market so he could provide for himself and his grandmother, as reported by NeedToKnow. A post on the influencer’s social media has attracted thousands of comments after the tragic incident.
One user wrote: “I feel sorry for you brother. The person who let you drink alcohol must be guilty forever.” Another person said: “May your soul rest in peace. Don’t be tired. Don’t try to please others. Rest in peace.”
“I would like to express my condolences to Brother Bank’s family,” added a third user. Someone else commented: “Traveling to a beautiful place and there are only kind people Bank. Rest in peace, Bank. I wish you will get justice. At least there must be someone to take care of grandmother instead of you as you wanted. Rip,” wrote another user.
In the wake of his death, social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet has offered to advocate for his family. No police investigation has been announced at the time of writing.
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