Deadly challenge: Influencer dies after drinking whisky bottles for money
Chanthaburi (Thailand) - The life of a young man has come to a tragic end: Thai social media star Thanakarn Kanthee, better known as "Bank Leicester", has died after an "alcohol challenge" at the age of 27.
As reported by Thai PBS World, the influencer was asked to drink alcoholic beverages such as two bottles of whisky with a total content of 0.7 liters for 30,000 baht (equivalent to around 840 euros).
According to the Thai newspaper Khaosod, this happened at a party on the evening of December 25 (local time). According to The Times of India, the birthday party took place in the province of Chanthaburi.
Apparently, the young man was already drunk when he accepted the challenge. A short time later, he collapsed, vomited and was taken to hospital.
There he died, presumably of heart failure following alcohol poisoning, according to Thai Enquirer. A video of his fatal attack was posted online.
His death triggered a wave of anger, grief and bewilderment
According to reports, Kanthee grew up in poor circumstances and achieved online fame with improvised rap songs.
To earn money, he shared videos with life-threatening "challenges" such as drinking hand sanitizer and got paid for it. In earlier videos, Kanthee, who was allegedly mentally impaired, was repeatedly bullied and dehumanized by other participants.
His death sparked a wave of anger, grief and bewilderment online. Users condemned the creators of such life-threatening challenges as they glorify and promote dangerous behavior. The police are investigating the death and want to find out who motivated "Bank Leicester" to carry out the "stunt".