Four Buddhist Monks Missing After Bamboo Raft Breaks in Rapids
Four Buddhist monks are missing after their bamboo raft broke apart in rapids during a forest pilgrimage in Surat Thani Province on July 10; eight others were rescued after being scattered in strong currents near Khao Sam Roi Yot National P
On July 10, officials from Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park in Wiphavadi District, Surat Thani Province, along with local rescue teams, received a report that 12 Buddhist monks conducting a forest pilgrimage from Kapoe District, Ranong Province, had been traveling by bamboo raft when it broke apart in strong currents. Eight monks were rescued, but four remained missing. Authorities immediately mobilized search and rescue efforts across the region.
Following the alert, national park officials, district rescue teams, local police, and residents from Ban Bang Jam village in Takuk Nuea subdistrict, Wiphavadi District, spread out to search the area. By 9:30 a.m., officers found three monks who had walked down from the forest, and by 11:30 a.m., five more monks were located. They were initially cared for at Ban Jam Monastery. Due to difficult terrain accessing the main monastery, rescue teams used off-road vehicles to transport them for further medical care.
According to one of the monks, the group had traveled from various regions to practice Buddhism together at Wat Withayalai Kru Rangsarn in Mueang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat, before staying at a monastery in Kapoe District, Ranong. On July 3, they began a forest pilgrimage and constructed a bamboo raft to travel through waterways toward Surat Thani Province. However, fierce rapids caused the raft to break apart, scattering the monks in different directions. Local villagers eventually assisted them as they made their way through dense forest.
Four monks remain missing. Authorities have deployed search teams both on water and land to continue rescue operations.
