PUBLISHED : 12 Feb 2024 at 04:30
SURAT THANI: A British tourist went missing after falling from his kayak in the Rajjaprabha Dam in Ban Ta Khun district yesterday morning. Rescue efforts were underway as of press time last night.
Ban Ta Khun station police said Gowribalan Shanghaman, 24, fell into the water about 9am while kayaking about 50–60km from the dam’s crest.
Worapoj Lomlim, head of Khao Sok National Park, said Mr Shanghaman and his friend stayed at the Kraisorn rafthouse before leaving to kayak in the morning. His friend later returned from the reservoir and told officials the man fell about 500 metres from the rafthouse, Mr Worapoj said.
Four scuba divers from the Cheow Lan municipal office were sent to find the missing man, he said. Mr Worapote said the water at the spot where the man went missing was about 50 metres deep, the deepest in the reservoir.
However, the divers lost visibility due to the water’s cold temperature and its murkiness, he said. The search and rescue operation was ongoing.
According to Mr Worapoj, the man and his friend may have violated park regulations for failing to report to the authorities before going on the water. They also did not wear life vests, he said.
In other news, the Phuket Info Centre said on Facebook yesterday that a tourist boat had capsized near Koh Lading in Krabi. No passenger was reported injured.
A long-tailed boat carrying seven passengers was travelling around Than Bok Khorani National Park before it capsized about 10am, the centre said. All the passengers were rescued by foreign passengers of a speedboat.
Tidal waves 2–3-metre-high are expected in the area until tomorrow, prompting the park to ban visitors from swimming at beaches around the park, the centre said.