Two Filipino women were hurt by a landslide while leading a group of children and adults on a nature walk at Haew Narok Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park n Nakhon Nayok province on Wednesday.
Chaiya Huayhongthong, head of Khao Yai National Park explained that a landslide near the bridge to the waterfall’s second level injured two female Filipino visitors at the Khao Yai National Park World Heritage Site.
Rescue teams helped both women and took them to Aphaiphubet Hospital in Prachinburi. The first, Mary Ann, 38, suffered a broken upper right leg and an open wound. The second, Cecil, also 38, had a neck injury.
Park staff said the women were guiding seven others—five adults and two children—from Bangkok. The group was crossing the bridge to see the second level of the waterfall when soil and rocks suddenly fell. Both women were at the end of the group and got hit by debris after the others had crossed.
The park chief said heavy rain had fallen on the mountain for the past four to five days before the incident. As a safety step, he had already closed the path down to the lower Haew Narok Waterfall after finding damage to the bridge railing.
Park Ranger Dies Recovering Cell Phone
In a separate incident, a park ranger died while trying to recover a tourist’s phone from a stream inside Tham Sao Hin cave in Thong Pha Phum district on Tuesday afternoon. Tham Sao Hin and the nearby Tham Nok Nang Aen cave are now temporarily closed.
Paisan Wanphet, 43, entered the swollen Khlong Ngu stream around 1 p.m. on Tuesday to retrieve the phone. The current swept him away and he vanished. While other rangers led about 120 visitors out of the cave, rescue teams searched the stream for Paisan. They found his body around 9 p.m.
Tham Sao Hin, also known as stone pillar cave, is a major site at Lam Khlong Ngu National Park in Kanchanaburi. It stretches about 500 meters and features a towering limestone pillar measuring 62 meters, among the tallest in the world.
Chutidech Kamonnachanut, director of Protected Area Regional Office 3 in Ratchaburi, said divers found Paisan’s body trapped among rocks about four meters underwater. The stream was deep and cold, and entering it could cause cramps.
Paisan’s family will receive 570,000 baht in compensation from various support funds, according to Chutidech.
The director added that Tham Sao Hin cave and Tham Nok Nang Aen cave will remain closed starting Thursday for safety. With more heavy rain expected, water levels inside the caves could rise. The caves will reopen once conditions improve.
