Monk survives 50 metre fall inside mountain cave in Kanchanaburi

A monk fell 50 metres down into a cave and was rescued after a 10-hour mission. Reports say 29 year old Phra Thada was descending into the cave when a rope on the ladder snapped, hurling him down to the cave floor. He suffered serious injuries to his hips and legs.

The monk, from a temple in the Khlong San district of Bangkok, travelled to the secluded cave in the Klu Kli mountains in Kanchanaburi province to practise vipassana, or “insight” meditation.

At 4:20pm on Saturday, the Bo Ploy Ruam Jai Association radio centre received a call from villagers in Bo Ploy district saying a monk had fallen into a cave in the mountains and was injured. Phra Thada had asked the villagers to lead him to the cave so that he could sit in meditation.

A rescue team from the Pithakkan Foundation brought lights, first aid and specialist equipment to the pitch-black cave. Officers from the two organisations combined efforts and resources to descend down into the cave and safely bring Phra Thada back up to the surface. After a 10-hour rescue mission, Phra Thada emerged from the cave at 3:30am on Sunday morning.

Villagers said that the cave was popular among monks, nuns and novices looking for a quiet spot to meditate. The goal of vipassana meditation is to gain insight into the nature of reality and is best practised without distractions.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post