A HAPPY outing at a waterfall in southern Phatthalung province by around 50 tourists including small children turned into a frightening experience when forest runoffs suddenly flowed in leaving 10 trapped there but fortunately all were rescued by local residents, Thai News Agency said today (August 8).
At 5 pm yesterday Pol. Col. Kamol Na Narong, head of Kong Ra police station, and his team rushed to Manora waterfall after being alerted that 10 out of 50 tourists from Hat Yai were trapped in the middle of the falls awash with heavy forest runoffs.
However when they got there they found that local residents were already trying to rescue the 10 tourists, with six of them being young children between four to seven years of age and the remaining four adults.
The rescue operation was done with great difficulty as the locals only had a nylon rope to carry out the task. They successful managed to get all 10 back on land by holding the rope on two ends of the waterfall to clasp as carried the children on their backs.
Upon being questioned the tourists said they had all traveled to the waterfall from Hat Yai on five pickup trucks and the weather was clear and it was not raining.
However it was raining heavily up on the mountains at the borderline between Phattalung and Trang provinces which triggered the powerful reddish muddy runoffs.
However the tourists pointed out that officials had not issued a danger warning and that it was lucky no one got killed.
CAPTION:
Inset: Fierce runoffs flowing into Manora waterfall in Phattalung province last evening. Photo: Thai News Agency
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