SURAT THANI — A tragic incident occurred during an adventure tour in the rainy season when two tour guides were leading a group of 22 foreign tourists through Nam Thalu Cave in the Ratchaprapha Reservoir area in Khlong Sok sub-district, Phanom District, Surat Thani Province, resulting in one guide’s death.
The Department of National Parks will take legal action against the tour company that brought this group of tourists into the cave, as they violated the announcement prohibiting cave entry during the rainy season.
Heavy rains in recent days in the Khao Sok mountain range caused water to flow into the Nam Thalu cave in the Ratchaprapha reservoir. On August 6, while all the tourists managed to escape the floods, one guide was swept away. The surviving guide informed the Khao Sok National Park officers at 7:00 p.m.
When Khao Sok National Park officials learned about the incident, they had the tourists and the other guide stay overnight at Graisorn Raft House in Khao Sok National Park Ranger Station 7. Two tourists were taken to Ban Takhun Hospital with minor injuries.
At 1:00 am on August 7, the search team found the body of the guide, Mr. Pongyot Kerddee, 37, from Warin Chamrap District, Ubon Ratchathani Province. The rescue team transported his body to Ban Takhun Hospital.
Nam Thalu Cave is about 3 kilometers from Khao Sok National Park Ranger Station 4 (Khlong Pae) and is located on the edge of the Ratchaprapha Reservoir. It is also located on the territory of Khlong Sok Subdistrict, Phanom District, about 23 kilometers from the tourist landing site of Chiew Lan Subdistrict Township. Access to the cave requires a two-hour boat ride from the jetty, followed by a 2-kilometer walk. There is no cell phone signal in the area.
The Nam Thalu cave has a 30 meter wide entrance, through which a stream flows over a length of 600 meters. Inside the cave are stalactites, stalagmites and unusual rock formations shaped by water erosion, which are very popular with adventurous foreign tourists.
Khao Sok National Park has announced that the cave is closed to tourists from June 1 to November 30 due to the rainy season, when there is a risk of flash floods in the cave. A similar tragic incident occurred on October 13, 2007, when a flash flood in the cave led to the death of eight tourists, both foreigners and Thais.
Due to this violation, Mr. Atthaphon Charoenchansa, Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, has ordered the Chief of Khao Sok National Park to take strict legal action against the tour company.
“In light of this incident, we would like to warn all tour companies and tourists to check the annual closure schedules of national parks nationwide, as well as emergency closures. Especially during this rainy season, many areas are experiencing heavy and continuous rainfall, causing flash floods in tourist attractions under the responsibility of the Department of National Parks. If there are violations like this example, the Department will take strict legal action against the offending tour companies,” he said.
He further added, “Please check for any closures of tourist attractions due to annual maintenance or emergencies, particularly during this rainy season when many areas are experiencing heavy and continuous rainfall. This can cause flash floods in tourist spots under our department’s responsibility. If there are violations like in this case, we will take strict legal action against the tour companies that defy these rules.”
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