Flash Flood kills 4 Swiss, 2 Thai, 1 German and 1 Brit In Surat Thani

[george]

German tourist drowns, 9 persons missing in Surat Thani flood

SURAT THANI: -- One German tourist has been confirmed drowned while seven others and two Thai two guides are missing after being swept away by a flash flood during a cave tour in this southern Thai resort province.

Rescue workers confirmed one German tourist is dead and they are working to rescue seven German tourists and two Thai tour guides, who are still missing in Namthalu cave in the Kao Sok National park.

A heavy downpour may have triggered flash flood, which flowed into the cave and caused the disaster.

Meanwhile, Thailand's national disaster prevention and mitigation office has announced warnings for tourists at more than 260 waterfalls nationwide to pay attention to the possibility of possible flash flooding during the rainy season.

--TNA 2007-10-13

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Since this article was published a total of seven or eight Germans has been reported killed, and several are still missing, please see update below

[sriracha john]

Map of Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani province of Thailand, showing the highways to the park, the Chew Lan dam lake, etc.

[londonthai]

A heavy downpour may have triggered flash flood, which flowed into the cave and caused the disaster. ... office has announced warnings for tourists at more than 260 waterfalls nationwide to pay attention to the possibility of possible flash flooding during the rainy season.

the accident happened in the cave not near waterfall.

it's not a secret that underground and overground waters will swell during the rainy season and it's a little dangerous to explore caves at this time

[Scott]

Condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Please keep us posted as to the outcome of the search for the others.

[sriracha john]

ASTV-1 just reported now that eight are dead and one is still missing...

Additionally, they reported that the tour group proceeded against the National Park staff directions who told them not to go, but the local tour guides insisted it would be OK as they had done the cave trip in the past without problems. They apparently went past posted warning signs prohibiting entry.

*edit*

Looking for confirmation of the above.

Edited October 14, 2007 by sriracha john

[AGareth2]

A sad error of judgement that ended in tragedy.

My condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased.

[george]

Update:

Floods kill 7 tourists, guides; two missing

SURAT THANI: -- The sudden flooding of a cave in the southern province of Surat Thani killed two Thai guides and at least five German tourists - three of them children.

The seven Germans and two Thai guides took a boat ride from the Ratchaprapha dam to the cave in Khao Sok national park in Ban Ta Khun district. But heavy rainfalls quickly flooded the area inside the cave, drowning at least five of the tourists and two Thai guides.

The fate of the other two Germans remained unknown, according to park chief Chaitach Boonpuphantanti.

District chief Apirak Suksanit said the rescue team was sent to the cave.

He reiterated that tourists should not ignore a warning from park officials against visiting the cave during the rainy season.

Rescue workers had located seven bodies in the cave, including five Germans, one male adult, a female and three children, a boy and two girls, Thirayudh told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in a telephone interview.

The bodies of their two Thai guides were also found.

"We are still optimistic that the two missing tourists are still alive since we probably would have discovered their bodies by now had they drowned," said park deputy chief Thirayudh Munagpaisan.

He said the group had a taken a boat to the cave, about 60 kilometres from park headquarters, and were caught inside during a three-hour rainstorm that inundated the cavern.

More than 30 houses in Hot district of Chiang Mai were destroyed by run-off on Friday with some stretches of the Chiang Mai-Mae Sariang road coming under water.

Provincial disaster mitigation chief Prachon Pratsakul warned people in Hot, Omkoi, Doi Tao, and Mae Chaem districts of possible run-off and landsides following continuous rainfall.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, some stretches of the Friendship Highway were under water reaching 50cm caused by run-off from Kao Yai mountain in Sung Noen district, leading to partial closure of the Bangkok-bound lane.

In Mae Hong Son, a strong current in a local river, swollen by fast run-off, damaged a foundation pole of a bridge in Sop Moei district, bringing local transport to a standstill.

In Ayutthaya, Wat Maheyong, an historic site in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district, was at risk of being flooded by the overflowing Pa Sak river.

Mayor Somsong Sapakosonkul said the Irrigation Department released water from the Pa Sak dam without giving notice, causing spillover into residential areas and the historic site.

In Ang Thong, two children were drowned in Muang district while swimming in the fast-flowing Chao Phraya river. Irrigation Department spokesman Boonsanong Suchatpong said the highest amount of rainfall was measured at 122.5 millimetres in Nakhon Sawan's Kao Lieo district.

He said the department would reduce the volume of water released from the Pa Sak dam to prevent possible flooding in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces.

Pairat Bundam, manager of Krobkrua Khonsong Co, said shuttle boat services in Bangkok's Saen Saeb canal resumed yesterday, one day after the service was suspended due to the unusually high water level.

-- Bangkok Post/Agencies 2007-10-14

[sriracha john]

Matichon newspaper online in a report filed last night reported 7 dead, including children, and 2 missing at that time... so it does appear that this is, indeed, a developing disastrous occurrence....

Edited October 14, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Seven killed by Thai cave flash flood

Six German tourists and a Thai tour guide were killed after being swept away by flash floods while exploring a cave at a national park in southern Thailand, police said.

The victims were trekking through the Khao Sok national park in Surathani province late on Saturday afternoon when a heavy rainfall caused flash floods that sent water surging through the cave, which was near a waterfall, said police Lt Col Pichan Kanayasiri.

"The tourists were inside the cave and didn't know what was happening outside," Pichan said. "They were trapped inside the cave."

Rescue teams worked through the night trying to save the group. A German man and a Thai man were still believed missing, Pichan said.

The German victims were identified as three women, two men and a child.

A Belgian tourist was killed by a flash flood in the same cave several years ago, Pichan said.

- Associated Press

[JohnBKKK]

Seven killed by Thai cave flash flood

Six German tourists and a Thai tour guide were killed after being swept away by flash floods while exploring a cave at a national park in southern Thailand, police said.

The victims were trekking through the Khao Sok national park in Surathani province late on Saturday afternoon when a heavy rainfall caused flash floods that sent water surging through the cave, which was near a waterfall, said police Lt Col Pichan Kanayasiri.

"The tourists were inside the cave and didn't know what was happening outside," Pichan said. "They were trapped inside the cave."

Rescue teams worked through the night trying to save the group. A German man and a Thai man were still believed missing, Pichan said.

The German victims were identified as three women, two men and a child.

A Belgian tourist was killed by a flash flood in the same cave several years ago, Pichan said.

- Associated Press

Been there - there is a ranger station not far from the cave and having trekked into the jungle there years ago the rangers seemed very knowledgable about local sites and dangers - am amazed they were so stupid as to go deep into the cave during the rainy season - this is reckles

[lazeeboy]

Seven killed by Thai cave flash flood

Six German tourists and a Thai tour guide were killed after being swept away by flash floods while exploring a cave at a national park in southern Thailand, police said.

The victims were trekking through the Khao Sok national park in Surathani province late on Saturday afternoon when a heavy rainfall caused flash floods that sent water surging through the cave, which was near a waterfall, said police Lt Col Pichan Kanayasiri.

"The tourists were inside the cave and didn't know what was happening outside," Pichan said. "They were trapped inside the cave."

Rescue teams worked through the night trying to save the group. A German man and a Thai man were still believed missing, Pichan said.

The German victims were identified as three women, two men and a child.

A Belgian tourist was killed by a flash flood in the same cave several years ago, Pichan said.

- Associated Press

its been raining on samui for 12 hours non stop .the sand bags are coming out .

[piker]

I am already terrified of caves.

[Tammi]

During a monsoon, crossing a river our Landrover got stuck, water suddenly rose, everyone got to safety but Landrover was history. It can happen so fast!

[sbk]

Very sad news indeed. Condolences to all families involved.

[qualtrough]

With the string of tourist deaths that plague Thailand it is a wonder anyone visits here anymore. My condolences to the families and friends of the missing and dead.

[donna]

I have friends who run a business taking tourists out to this area. Whilst working as a tour leader, i visited the Namtaloo Cave on many occasions, and can tell you that this is a potentially dangerous cave at the best of times.

In order to get to the cave, you have to walk around 2.8km through jungle along narrow paths and across rivers and streams. Once you reach the cave, the entrance is huge and a small trickle of a stream runs into it, coming out the other end.

You enter the cave and walk along smooth rocks with the small stream below on your right. The drop from the area you walk on to the stream is usually about 2-3m. Often, during wet season, we would not go into the cave, and if we did, we would walk only 5 min in, and then come back out, due to the danger you face when you get further in.

about three quarters of the way through the cave, there is a steep drop of about 3-4m that you have to scale down and once you get to the bottom of this you have to actually swim for about 10m to where you can stand. years ago, when i first came here, there were no ropes to help you along, but a few years ago, ropes were installed to help people pull their way through.

bear in mind, that you are in total blackness here and cannot see even your hand in front of your face, so things are difficult.

i received a call from a girlfriend last night whose husband was called down to the pier to go and search for the missing. fatalities are as follows: a family of four (the body of the mother is yet to be recovered but she is presumed dead), a couple (or two friends - we are uncertain of the relationship) one 8 year old boy, the thai guide and the thai boat driver.

the 8 year old boy was traveling with his mother, who sat out the cave walk. she was waiting for the group to return to the rafthouses when tragedy struck. she entrusted his life to the guides and to the others on the tour who assured her that he would be well taken care of.

the group who lost their lives were meant to go into the cave in the morning but opted to have lunch first, which proved to be a fatal mistake.

the guide who led the first trip of the day through the cave, who is my friend, warned the guide that there was a lot of water in the cave, and that it wasnt a good idea to proceed (they passed each other in the jungle).

there are no signs outside the cave saying that you cannot go in. there never has been. this information is incorrect.

i will post more as i find out more. but i do have a friend on the ground there who has been in the jungle and the cave all night recovering bodies, so the information i am passing on should be accurate.

what a tragic story.

[donna]

i should also add that a young tourist was killed in the same cave around 4 years ago as the result of a flash flood. also, a friend of mine, another tour leader, was in the cave when a flash flood hit and was very lucky to escape with her life.

just a few weeks ago my friends husband was in the cave with two tourists. he heard 'a noise' and decided to back out quickly. lucky he did, as that little stream on the right when yuo walk in was over his head.

the water level here can go up SO fast with no warning.

[thefree]

My thoughts are with the familys. How quick things can change...

[Galong]

This is not the first time that tourists have died in this cave in Khao Sok. The creek inside the cave can rise very rapidly in a very short time... and without any warning. It takes about an hour to get through the cave, depending on how fast you travel. You could be in the cave for a half an hour before reaching the area where the water is fast and the foot is bad.

After the last German woman died in this cave the locals put up a rope. Having a rope there does NOT mean that it's safe to go in at any water level or if it's raining hard outside. And, you don't know if it's raining hard outside if you've been in the cave for 30 minutes anyway. They should not allow tourists to go through this cave during the rainy season!!

I've met tour groups coming down the path to the cave dressed in backpacks, heavy hiking boots and all sort of gear. When I tell them what they are about to do, the most common reply is, "wow, I didn't know that. They didn't tell us anything about swimming through a cave!"

[sriracha john]

the guide who led the first trip of the day through the cave, who is my friend, warned the guide that there was a lot of water in the cave, and that it wasnt a good idea to proceed (they passed each other in the jungle).

i will post more as i find out more. but i do have a friend on the ground there who has been in the jungle and the cave all night recovering bodies, so the information i am passing on should be accurate.

Thank you for the information.

Please try to confirm the news reports that said National Park staff specifically told these tour guides not to go into the cave, but that they did so anyway. This would be in addition to your report that the first tour guide recommended to the second group that they not go.

Thank you.

[sriracha john]

Pictures from the scene:

Thai Rath paper

Khom Chad Luek paper - Which also confirms the ASTV-1 report earlier that the death toll is now 8 dead with 1 missing.

==================

Rest im Frieden (Rest in Peace)

[Tony Clifton]

Why isn't access to the place forbidden since there's already been deaths and close calls there previously?

[sriracha john]

Update on the totals, nationalities, park closure, and posted warning signs

Tourists, guides killed in Thailand flash flood

Six Western tourists and two Thai guides were killed after being swept away by flash floods while exploring a cave at a national park in southern Thailand, police said Sunday. One tourist was still missing.

The victims were trekking through the Khao Sok national park in Surathani province late Saturday afternoon when a heavy rainfall caused flash floods that sent water surging through the cave, which was near a waterfall, police Lt. Col. Pichan Kanayasiri said.

Police initially said the tourists were German based on information from their tour company, however they later said the nationalities were uncertain, but that they were Westerners. The dead tourists were three women, two men and a child. Another male tourist was still missing.

The province's governor, Winai Phopradit, said he had ordered the national park to close during the current rainy season. "We have signs both in English and Thai warning tourists not to go into the cave during heavy rains," he said.

- Associated Press

[george]

Update:

8 bodies retrieved folloiwng Surat Thani's cave flooding

SURAT THANI: -- Rescue workers have retrieved eight bodies of German tourists and Thai guides following a flash flooding in this southern province Saturday evening.

Police said a group of eight German tourists led by two Thai guides went into the cave which has a waterway leading to the Ratchaprapha Dam in Ban Takhun district at about 7:30 pm Saturday when they were swept away by the flash floods.

Rescuers searched through the reservoir of the dam throughout Saturday night and so far eight

--The Nation 2007-10-14

[tijnebijn]

very tragic happening .

I feel very sorry for the German tourists , who now have past away .

It should not have happened at all , it is the fault of the organization

overseeing tourist sights , the control of the agencies to give the green light .

I remember , I think last year when the disaster happened in the South ,

at the waterfall . It is just to plain dangerous .

I can not understand this to happen so often .

And even more that the authorities do not come with better control and warnings .

Its just very sad , and how many more before something turns for the better .

Something to guarantee the safety of holidayers ......

[Tony Clifton]

Business comes first, safety second.

Edited October 14, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[sriracha john]

6 foreign tourists, 2 guides die in flash flood in Thailand

BANGKOK-- Six foreign tourists, including a German national, and their two Thai guides were killed when a flash flood trapped them in a cave in southern Thailand, officials said Sunday.

Seven holiday makers were trekking with their guides on Saturday in Kao Sok National Park in Surat Thani, 644 kilometers (400 miles) south of Bangkok, when heavy rain caused a stream in the overground cave to rise suddenly.

The bodies of all but one of the group have been pulled from the water, district official Sitichai Thaicharoen said, and the authorities were still trying to identify the nationalities of those who drowned.

"The bodies of two Thai guides and six foreign tourists, including a German boy, were found," Sitichai told AFP.

He said a German woman had told authorities that her son was in the group.

A rescue team was still searching for the missing tourist, he added.

Thailand's tourism industry recently took a hit when 54 foreigners and 36 Thais were killed in a plane crash on the resort island of Phuket last month.

- Agence France-Presse

[Galong]

Update:

Police said a group of eight German tourists led by two Thai guides went into the cave which has a waterway leading to the Ratchaprapha Dam in Ban Takhun district at about 7:30 pm Saturday when they were swept away by the flash floods.

--The Nation 2007-10-14

Hold on here, are they actually saying that the tour started at 7:30 PM?? I'm guessing that they mean they started the search at that time. No responsible tour guide would start a three-hour hike which includes an hour in a cave at that time.... would they?

It must mistake just like saying that the cave "has a waterway leading to the Ratchaprapha Dam". The dam is 15+ miles from the cave area!

As usual, the information coming in isn't accurate. One thing is for sure, the company that ran this trip should be put out of business ASAP. The trip to the cave should be allowed during the rainiest season... as there are obviously guides who are incapable of making a proper safety/risk assessment.

This really pi55es me off as these poor tourists, one being a child, died because of blatant incompetents!!

[fxe1200]

A seventeen year old girl was rescued after 20 hours inside the cave. The dead are of German, British, Thai (guides) and Swiss nationality.

Source Radio Bremen

[chinagal]

The 3pm news update on Channel NewsAsia reported that there was a 17 year old female that was rescued. A bit of good news amidst the tragedy.