Thailand princess, next in line to throne, ‘suffers heart attack while running’

Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand, next in line to the throne is reportedly “unlikely to recover” after suffering a heart attack. King Vajiralongkorn is believed to have flown by helicopter to be with his daughter who became ill in Khao Yai, north east of Bangkok, The Mirror reported.

The princess was reportedly out running with her dogs in the Khao Yai national park when she collapsed.

Journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall said, CPR was carried out “for more than an hour” but Princess BajrakItiyabha could not be revived. It is claimed she has been put on an oxygen machine, the report said.

Andrew MacGregor Marshall tweeted, “Some sources are saying that despite CPR being carried out for more than an hour, there was no response and she has been put on an ECMO machine, which basically means she is dead but being artificially kept alive.”

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Three large military helicopters were also reportedly seen returning to Bangkok from Khao Yai unusually late at night on Wednesday. From there she was taken to Bangkok Hospital for the ECMO treatment with witnesses reportedly seeing a hospital helicopter flanked by two military choppers.

“Royal sources say the prognosis for the princess is very grim and it’s very unlikely she will ever recover. But she could potentially be kept artificially alive via ECMO for weeks or even months while the regime figures out what to do," tweeted Andrew MacGregor Marshall.

“These events have huge repercussions for the Thai monarchy because it was assumed Bajrakitiyabha would be the next monarch, or would be regent for her younger half-brother Dipangkorn who has autism and will not be able to reign alone,” Andrew MacGregor Marshall added.