A rescue team successfully brought a tourist who accidentally fell into a forest ravine in a national park in Kanchanaburi and was seriously injured out to safety Thursday morning. But he and along with his three friends and a guide are to be fined 500 baht each for trespassing.
Tewin Meesap, chief of Khao Laem national park, said Thursday that the Roi Wa waterfall in the national park where the incident took place is still off-limits to tourists because of its remoteness and is more than 40 kilometres from the nearest service area.
He said groups of tourists had in the past sneaked into the area with the help of villagers serving as guides despite the ban.
The injured tourist, identified as Nipon Wongtub, 46, had been moved from the ravine to the helicopter’s landing zone on Wednesday by an army rescue team. With a broken leg and serious head injuries, he was given first aid treatment at the landing zone until his condition was stable and was later airlifted by an army chopper to Sangkhla Buri district hospital on Thursday morning.
Nipon and his three friends along with a guide were to be each fine 500 baht for trespassing the prohibited area of the national park.
