A GROUP of 11 American exchange students studying at Chiang Mai University were rescued late last night after getting lost in a thick jungle around Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir, Sanook.com reported this morning (August 30, 2018).
The students, one male and 10 female, had set off on a nature walk behind the reservoir at 2 p.m. after having hired a song-taew minibus to drop them off at the entrance.
After walking for 2 hours they realized they were lost but continued doing so in the hopes of finding a community or an exit, but by nightfall they were still lost in the thick jungle.
Scared but still in strong spirit, the group finally were able to reach a telephone signal on top of the 80-meter deep cliff above Tat Mok waterfall, and called Tourist Police for help
Officials from Doi Suthep–Pui National Park and Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir Tourism Office together rescuers and soldiers set forth to rescue them and after a 2- hour trek, it was 9.30 p.m. when they found them, and it was another 2 hours before they got them out to the Huay Tueng Tao checkpoint.
The students said they were very lucky that the officials helped rescue them.
Col Supakorn Ruensati, manager of Huay Tueng Tao Reservoir Tourism Office, said normally tourists have to ask for permission to go for a walk within the project and an official would be assigned to guide them because this is a thick forest and they could get lost.
However the exchange students probably went off on their own because they did not know the procedure.
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Top and in-text: The rescued American exchange students very happy after being rescued. Photo: Sanook.com
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http://video.sanook.com/player/1319401/