NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Authorities have suspended a 15-day search operation for a man who went missing while foraging for mushrooms and forest products in Thap Lan National Park after extensive efforts failed to locate him.
Pramote Khensanthia, 45, a resident of Ban Khok Khaeun Phatthana village in Kham Thale So district, disappeared on 31 May 2026 while collecting wild mushrooms with his wife and neighbors near Chong Khao Khaep in the national park’s Wang Nam Khiao area.
Following his disappearance, a large-scale search operation was launched involving district officials, soldiers from the 21st Military Circle, Thap Lan National Park personnel, Wang Nam Khiao police, Hook 31 rescue volunteers, emergency responders, village leaders and community members.
Search teams deployed K9 tracking dogs, conducted ground patrols and used drones equipped with thermal imaging technology in an effort to locate the missing man.
On 14 June 2026, Wang Nam Khiao District Chief Thoedthai Saengphon, who serves as incident commander, convened a meeting of all participating agencies at the forward operations center to review information and assess the ongoing mission.
Following the meeting, authorities announced the suspension of active search operations, citing the exhaustive efforts already undertaken and challenging conditions in the mountainous forest terrain.
Officials said dense vegetation, steep slopes and frequent rainfall had significantly hampered search efforts, with rain affecting operations on most days since the mission began.
Search teams had focused on the area where Pramote was last known to have been collecting mushrooms, spreading out on foot through the Chong Khao Khaep area. Rapid-response units also used motorcycles to access remote sections of the forest.
However, authorities said some deep-forest zones near the foothills of Khao Saladai remained extremely dangerous due to the presence of wild elephants, gaur and other predators.
Despite suspending the active search, officials said they remain prepared to immediately investigate any new leads or information that could assist in locating the missing man.