New Zealand tourist gets lost in forest in Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

A New Zealand tourist got lost in a forest on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan island in the southern Surat Thani province on Sunday. Friends of the man, 56 year old Shaw Mace Bushel, alerted police that he had gone missing from his resort at 4am. Bushel’s friends had searched for him but failed to find him.

A team of officers from Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police, Koh Samui Tourist Police, and several other departments began to search for Bushel. On Monday morning, the team found the motorbike that Bushel had rented near a hill at Khom Beach.

The officers spread out to search for Bushel in the area where they found his motorbike. The officers then spotted Bushel near the hill. According to Naewna, Bushel appeared paranoid, and tried to climb up the hill to escape the officers.

Fortunately, the officers managed to talk to Bushel and convince him to come down from the hill. Finally, at 9pm, the team brought Bushel to Koh Pha Ngan Hospital. Bushel’s friends and family were deeply grateful to the team.

There have been a few recent incidents in Thailand involving tourists getting lost in forests.

Last month, two French tourists got lost in a forest in Phuket. The boyfriend and girlfriend followed a trail up the Nai Thon mountain but found themselves lost and unable to find their way back. Luckily, the couple had a phone signal and called the Tourist Police using WhatsApp. The two were able to provide their location and photos of their surroundings. After a two-hour walk, nearly 3 kilometres away, rescuers were able to find the couple waiting in the dark on the mountain.

The week before that, Phuket Tourist Police, with the help of a Good Samaritan, rescued an American man lost on a trail near the Krating Cape in Karon. The man reported that he was walking along the trail and was unable to find his way out. Fortunately, the Phuket Tourist Police and a Good Samaritan were able to track down the lost tourist through the Chinese WeChat application.