UPDATE: Phuket’s Narong visits recovering German tourist in hospital

UPDATE

As Barbara Lange recovers in Bangkok Hospital Phuket after she went missing for a week, Phuket’s Governor Narong has paid Barbara and her family a visit yesterday. The governor reportedly went to the hospital with other officials, and the group presented Barbara and her family with flowers.

The 76 year old woman first went missing from a hotel in Phuket’s Thalang district on May 9. Last week it was reported that the lady had headed off for a morning walk from her hotel in Mai Khao. She was found this past weekend in Sirinath National Park in a helicopter sweep by park rangers and tourist police.

Doctors at Bangkok Hospital Phuket say that Barbara is now safe, and recovering well. She was reportedly alert during Narong’s visit, and grateful. Barbara’s family stated that they were thankful for everyone’s help, however they also asked for privacy.

Barbara has Alzheimer’s Disease, and was reportedly unable to remember details of her disappearance. She was reportedly exhausted when rescuers found her, but had no debilitating injuries. Barbara will be released from the hospital in the near future, and she and her family plan to return home to Germany.

PREVIOUS UPDATE:

The missing German woman, who had been missing for 7 days, has now been found. 76 year old tourist Barbara Elisabeth Monika Glag Lange was found safe in the the Sirinat National Park along the northern west coast of Phuket. Last week it was reported that the lady had headed off for a morning walk from her hotel in Mai Khao.

From last Wednesday, when it became clear that she had gone missing, rangers from the Sirinat National Park and tourist police joined in the search. She was found in a helicopter sweep, and was wearing a blue jacket with a white shirt and black pants. She was walking in the forested areas between Mai Khao Beach and Nai Yang Beach in the Sirinat National Park.

Searches had been sweeping up to 40 kilometres along the coast and up to 10 kilometres out to sea in search of the woman.

Later reporting from Channel One News suggests that the lady was found some 15 kilometres away from her original accomodation and was escorted out of the National Park on a stretcher, by foot for around 2 hours, before being taken to hospital for further observation. She was said to be suffering from fatigue but without any injuries.

EARLIER STORY:

Search parties in Phuket are still no closer to finding an elderly German woman who has now been missing for 7 days. Barbara Elisabeth Monika Glag Lange is thought to have Alzheimer’s, according to a Nation Thailand report. She disappeared from her hotel in Mai Khao, north of Phuket International Airport, last Monday.

District officials, village chiefs, as well as officials from the airport and Sirinat National Park, have all joined the search, combing the beaches and other areas around Mai Khao to no avail. According to the report, Ms Lange’s family say she suffers from Alzheimer’s. She arrived on the island with her family on May 5, when they checked into a hotel at Mai Khao beach. It’s understood she wandered off from the hotel on the first day, but was found on that occasion and brought back.

Since her disappearance a week ago, the woman has been spotted on CCTV, between Mai Khao and Nai Yang beaches. She was wearing a blue top and black trousers and appeared to be heading south, between the sub-districts of Mai Khao and Sakhu.

Searches are now taking place on both land and sea, in addition to an aerial search with a Navy helicopter.

SOURCE: The Phuket Express | The Phuket News | Nation Thailand | The Phuket News