Phuket rescuers bring French tourists lost in forest to safety

Phuket rescuers brought two French tourists lost in a forest to safety between last night and this morning. The tourists, a man identified only as Victor, and his girlfriend, had arrived in Phuket earlier yesterday and decided to go for a walk on a local beach.

The couple followed a trail up the Nai Thon mountain but found themselves lost and unable to find their way back.

Victor and his girlfriend luckily had a phone signal and called the Tourist Police using WhatsApp. The two were able to provide their location and photos of their surroundings. They told the police they were lost in a forest on Nai Thon mountain in tambon Sakhu of Thalang district, Bangkok Post reported.

The police quickly assembled a team consisting of local officials, police, rangers, and villagers to begin their search.

After a two-hour walk, nearly 3 kilometres away, the searchers were able to find the couple waiting in the dark on the mountain at around 12.30am. Victor and his girlfriend were unharmed, except for some scratches, and were safely guided back to their hotel.

This news comes after two other recent incidents of tourists getting lost at nature sites in Phuket, and other tourist hotspots in Thailand.

Last week, 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.

Less than a week before that, national park officials rescued three foreign tourists who got lost in the jungle in Koh Pha Ngan, Surat Thani province, in South Thailand. Luckily, all three tourists were found and safely rescued.