Police Helicopter Airlifts Injured Toddler from Flooded Kanchanaburi Forest
A Royal Thai Police helicopter airlifted a critically injured 3-year-old boy from a remote area of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi after flooding cut off road access. The child, who suffered a suspected broken leg and head injuries in a motorcycle crash, was flown to Phahon Phon Phayuhasena Hospital by a joint police and Sky Doctor medical team in a four-hour mission.
On October 20, 2026, Sangkhla Buri Hospital in Kanchanaburi province reported that a Royal Thai Police Aviation Division Bell 429 helicopter joined a mission to airlift a 3-year-old boy who suffered a motorcycle accident, suspected of a fractured femur, head abrasions, and urinary retention. The incident occurred in Ban Cha Kae, Lai Wo subdistrict, Sangkhla Buri district, deep within the western part of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. The child was transported to Phahon Phon Phayuhasena Hospital because vehicles could not reach the area due to floodwaters cutting across roads, making aircraft the only way to provide timely assistance.
The boy had been injured and initially treated with local herbal medicine before coordination for air evacuation was requested. The Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodin Hospital's Emergency Medical Operations page reported on October 19 regarding the CNHEMS Sky Doctor mission to transport the 3-year-old boy with a motorcycle accident, suspected fractured femur, head abrasions, and urinary retention to Phahon Phon Phayuhasena Hospital via Bell 429 helicopter. The helicopter departed from the Police Aviation Division at Ta Raeng at 14:00, reached the patient pickup point, and delivered the patient to the hospital at 18:40.
The CNHEMS operational team included Asst. Prof. Dr. Sittichok Leelamorasin, Dr. Chawin Trikamjananant, and Paramedic Abdulwahed Maesawan. The Police Aviation Division flight crew consisted of Pol. Lt. Col. Tattakit Chiewchan and Pol. Lt. Jenwit Maniphon piloting the Bell 429. Supporting agencies included the 1669 Command Center of Kanchanaburi Provincial Administrative Organization, Sangkhla Buri Hospital, Khao Khun Phai Phon Thuan Hospital, Naren Center, National Institute for Emergency Medicine, and the Surasak Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital.
This mission represented an integration of all sectors to develop the air emergency medical system, increasing access to emergency medical services for patients in remote areas. The patient was successfully handed over to the receiving team, and the operational team returned safely to the Police Aviation Division at 20:00. This marks another important step in the primary mission of the CNHEMS team in providing urgent assistance to emergency patients.
Credit: Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodin Hospital Emergency Medical Operations Page.
