Trapped tourists escape floods on a sling
TEN tourists cut off at Pachee River Wildlife Sanctuary in central Ratchaburi province by heavy flooding since Saturday managed to escape this morning (June 11) with some of them doing so on a sling, the Thai-language daily Matichon reported.
This group of tourists, among whom are elderly persons, children and women, and their 4 vehicles got stranded after forest runoff suddenly gushed in and heavily flooded the paths out.
Mr Pratheep Himphayak, head of sanctuary, said after finding out that the 10 tourists were trapped within he told them they could bring them out but they said they wanted to stay on because they wanted to safeguard their belongings in the vehicles.
Officials then cut a now route to drain out some of the floodwater 15 kilometers from spot where the 10 tourists were stranded and this enabled the 4 vehicles to come out.
However, some had opted to reel out on a sling which had been put up.
Yesterday officials did ask the tourists whether they had enough food, and they confirmed that they did.
This party had been warned that the water is flowing very swiftly, but they said they would be fine because they were using 4-wheel drive vehicles.
However, soon after they drove into the sanctuary the forest runoff gushed in with the flooding being 1.8 to 2 meters deep.
Today it is still raining at intervals and floodwater has only dropped slightly, just 5 centimeters.
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Top and in-text: Tourists reeling out on a sling. Photos: Matichon
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