Rescuers carry injured Dutch hiker down steep mountain in South Thailand

Rescuers have carried an injured Dutch hiker in a stretcher down a mountain on South Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan yesterday. The man, 48 year old Jan Harm Kedde, broke his ankle after slipping and falling on a rock on Hat Khom mountain. He had been hiking with a friend.

After trekking down the mountain for two and a half hours, the rescuers brought Kedde down to the beach. But the journey wasn’t over there, as they had to travel in a long-tail boat for another 30 minutes. After they finally arrived at a pier, Kedde was taken to a hospital in an ambulance last night.

The Koh Pha Ngan Rescue Volunteer organisation posted about the incident on Facebook. A video shows the rescuers trying to balance on the steep mountain slope, while at the same time carrying the stretcher with Kedde. Several photos show how steep and slippery the rock formations on the mountain are. A translation of the Facebook post reads…

“3 pm. Accident occurred. Tourist fell down the hill. Hat Khom National Park. Koh Phangan province. Announcement. 1 foreigner injured. Rescue Charity Foundation with park staff on a mission to transport the injured to Phangan hospital.”

Rescuers along with tourist police and personnel from the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office all helped out to bring Kedde to the hospital.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post