South Korean man, Thai wife and child rescued from Lampang forest
Family separated from trekking group sparks late-night rescue mission
Officials on Saturday, September 27, rescued a South Korean man, his Thai wife, and their 10 year old son from a forest in Doi Khun Tan National Park in the northern province of Lampang, after the family had been lost for more than five hours.
Officials from Hang Chat District Office, together with Doi Khun Tan National Park rangers and volunteers, launched a search for the family of three, a 68 year old South Korean man, a 54 year old Thai woman, and their 10 year old son, at about 9.30pm on Saturday.
The family had sought assistance from the authorities, saying they had become separated from a group of nearly 30 Thai and foreign hikers on a trekking trip in the national park.
The group had travelled by train from Chiang Mai province and disembarked at Mae Tan Noi Station in Hang Chat district of Lampang. From there, they began trekking uphill along the Mae Tan Noi Reservoir trail in the evening.
However, the South Korean man and his family fell behind, attempted to turn back, and eventually became lost. They tried calling for help in the evening, prompting officials to track their location and dispatch both foot patrols and motorcycle search teams.
At around 10pm, a search team located the three family members, who were found 5 to 7 kilometres from the Mae Tan Noi Reservoir. All three appeared exhausted and shaken by the ordeal.
Hang Chat District Chief, Naresrit Udonsri, together with rescue teams, escorted the family down the mountain and arranged for them to be taken to Hang Chat Hospital for a thorough medical check-up. The family expressed their gratitude to the authorities for the rescue.
Naresrit also stated that an investigation would be conducted into the travel agency that organised the hike, to determine why the tour guide had left the family behind. He confirmed that further inquiries would be made to prevent such incidents in future.
Another successful rescue operation was reported in August, when a 79 year old Thai woman was found in Phitsanulok forest after disappearing for three days. She was discovered sitting in exhaustion under a tree near a stream.
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