A group of monks trekking on foot sought help from national park officials after their raft broke apart in the forest, with some monks injured. Currently, four monks remain stranded in the forest, and rescue plans are being expedited.
At 10:30 a.m. on 10 Jul 2026, the Kuson Sattha Surat Thani Rescue Radio Center received a request from officials at Kaeng Krung National Park in Wipawadi District, Surat Thani Province, to dispatch a team to assist in searching after two monks walked out of the forest seeking help to locate ten other monks.
They reported that on 2 Jul, they, along with ten other monks, totaling twelve, had been trekking by raft from Kapoe District, Ranong Province. Upon reaching Ban Bang Cham, Village No. 15, Takuk Nuea Subdistrict, Wipawadi District, Surat Thani Province, the raft broke, causing one monk to be swept away by the current and lost, while the remaining nine managed to struggle ashore and regroup.
Once on land, they found some monks injured and unable to continue trekking, so they volunteered to walk out and seek help from local villagers.
Later that morning, around the same time, a group of park officials on a routine patrol found one missing monk from the group and assisted him out of the forest to Wipawadi Hospital.
By 11:30 a.m., it was reported that park officials, along with villagers and rescue teams, had found five more monks near Bang Cham Monastery. This group reported that four monks remained near the raft break site, including one injured monk being cared for by three others. The officials then brought the monks to the Kaeng Krung National Park office.
Currently, park officials, rescue teams, and local residents are preparing forces to urgently locate the exact position to rescue the remaining four monks still inside the forest.