Surat Thani – A tragic incident occurred at Khao Sok National Park, resulting in the death of one individual, while thirty-one foreign tourists and a tour guide survived.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Surat Thani Office reported to the Phuket Express that park rangers stationed at the Ratchaprapha Dam (Chiao Lan Dam) received a distress call from a tour guide at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 6th.
Thirty-one foreign tourists and two tour guides were exploring the Nam Talu Cave (Through Water Cave) at the end of the dam when heavy rain caused flash flooding from the mountain, inundating the cave.
The thirty-one tourists and one Thai tour guide managed to escape the flood. However, the other tour guide was missing and park rangers and rescue teams launched a search operation.
During the evacuation, four tourists and the surviving tour guide sustained injuries. Three of the injured, including a Dutch woman and a British woman, were taken to the hospital. The Thai tour guide, Mr. Kraiprajak, also known as Guide Bird, survived but suffered a broken hip.
In the early hours of Wednesday, August 7th, the missing tour guide, Mr. Pongyos, also known as Guide Fluke, 37, from Ubon Ratchathani, was found dead inside the cave. He was also a boat captain.
It is worth noting that 17 years ago, a similar incident in the same cave resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, both foreigners and Thais.
This recent incident reminded many of a similar incident that made international headlines involving a youth soccer team in 2018. A group of 12 boys and their coach were trapped in the Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, due to sudden flooding. The rescue operation drew international attention and involved experts from around the world.
Fortunately, all members of the team were eventually rescued safely although one rescue team member tragically died during the rescue operations. During the 2018 rescue operation in the Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non cave, a former Thai Navy SEAL diver, Saman Kunan, tragically lost his life. He died due to a lack of oxygen while placing air tanks along the rescue route. His sacrifice was widely honored and remembered as a heroic act.
