Thai man survives 8 days in forest with broken hip
A 30 year old Thai man survived after being lost for eight days in a forest in the central province of Kanchanaburi, despite suffering from a broken hip.
Locals in Ban Matang Soo, located in the Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi, sought assistance from rescuers at the Khunnadham Kanchanaburi Foundation to search for the missing man, identified as Jao. He had informed his family that he would visit his cassava plantation on January 16 but did not return home.
Residents suspected that Jao had entered the forest near his plantation. They searched for him daily without success and eventually requested help from rescuers.
The rescue team initiated their search on January 22 but had to suspend the operation in the evening as night fell. The search resumed the following morning, with over 40 locals joining the effort to venture deep into the forest.
At approximately 12.30pm, the rescuers heard cries for help and followed the sound, eventually finding Jao lying injured in a hammock. His hip was broken, preventing him from leaving the forest. The first thing Jao requested from the rescuers was food.
Jao explained to the rescue team that he had entered the forest on January 16 to reach his cassava plantation on the other side. Along the way, he collected forest products but lost his way. As night fell, he decided to climb a tree and set up his hammock five metres above the ground to protect himself from nocturnal animals.
Unfortunately, the hammock’s rope snapped, causing him to fall and break his hip. Despite the injury, Jao managed to secure the hammock to another tree and remained there, awaiting rescue. He survived by consuming food he had brought from home and drinking the dew he collected daily.
Rescuers carefully moved Jao from the hammock to a stretcher and carried him out of the forest, which took about two hours. He was then rushed to hospital for further medical treatment.
One of the rescuers, Boonruam Boonthongsook, told Channel 7 that Jao’s survival was nothing short of a miracle. The spot where Jao was found was more than three kilometres deep into the forest.
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