A large tree on a cliff collapsed onto a ceremony tent during the annual "Khao Ngern Cave Climbing" merit event in Chumphon Province. Villagers could not escape in time, resulting in 2 deaths and several serious injuries.
At 10:30 a.m. on 3 April 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Nopparat Ma Muang, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Lang Suan Police Station, Chumphon Province, received a report of a tree collapse on civilians causing fatalities and multiple injuries. The incident occurred at the Somdej Phra Srinagarindra Garden, also known as Khao Ngern Cave, Village 8, Tha Mapla Subdistrict, Lang Suan District, Chumphon. After the report, he informed his superiors and coordinated with the Phutthapateep Lang Suan Rescue Team to promptly investigate.
The site was the venue for the event. "Khao Ngern Cave Climbing" This is the annual event of Lang Suan District, where numerous ceremony tents and market stalls were set up along the road near a steep mountain face. A large tree had broken and fallen from the cliff edge, crushing the ceremony tent into ruins on the ground. Inside the wreckage, scattered belongings and extensive bloodstains were found.
Initial examination found two fatalities at the scene, one man and one woman. Nine villagers attending the merit event were injured—three seriously and six with minor injuries. Rescue teams transported one injured person to Lang Suan Hospital and eight to Pak Nam Lang Suan Hospital.
Before the incident, the victims were sitting and standing, watching performances inside and around the ceremony tent when the large tree suddenly fell, leaving no time to escape. Rescue personnel and local villagers urgently assisted the injured to Lang Suan Hospital.
Police preliminarily believe the tree on the cliff, which was many years old, may have been weakened or had poor root anchorage to the rock, deteriorating naturally and collapsing just as the annual event was taking place. Relevant authorities are investigating the exact cause and will proceed with legal measures accordingly.