Authorities have found six villagers who got lost while collecting mushrooms near Phali Waterfall inside Phu Pha Lek National Park, Kalasin Province. All are safe.
On 5 August 2026, Somdet District received a report that six villagers from Ban Na Makhuea, Village No. 12, Na Makhuea Subdistrict, Sahatsakhan District, Kalasin Province—five women and one man—had gone into the forest near Phali Waterfall, Ban Khok Kwang, Village No. 10, Maha Chai Subdistrict, Somdet District, to gather forest products and mushrooms but became lost inside Phu Pha Lek National Park and could not find their way out.Read more: Continuing search for six villagers lost while mushroom foraging in Phu Pha Lek National Park, Kalasin)
After the report, Suwan Khemthanaphet, Governor of Kalasin Province, and the Deputy Governor ordered the Somdet District Chief to mobilize a search effort. This involved coordination among many agencies, including Maha Chai Subdistrict Municipality, Saeng Badan Police Station, Phu Pha Lek National Park officials, Metta Tham Rescue Foundation, and Kalasin Volunteer Rescue. Scent dogs and drones equipped with thermal cameras were deployed to fully support the search mission.
Throughout the operation, officials were able to contact the missing persons intermittently by phone, despite signal loss due to the mountainous, steep terrain, streams, and continuous rain, which made reaching the area very difficult.
Somdet District also established a command center at the Lam Chi Watershed Management Unit inside Phu Pha Lek National Park to coordinate operations. Support was provided by the Kalasin Provincial Public Health Office and Somdet Hospital, which set up a mobile medical unit to assist those affected.
Most recently, on 6 August 2026, officials found all six missing villagers near Phu Lao, beyond San Kiu, within Phu Phan National Park. Everyone was safe and is currently being escorted out of the area. Medical teams are conducting health assessments before safely returning them to their families, amid widespread praise for the cooperation of all parties involved in the successful mission.
Mr. Tingli revealed that the key principle in rescue operations is maximum cooperation among teams, gathering resources and experts to work professionally together. This includes collecting map data to analyze and plan where searches have occurred, where they are ongoing, where they have yet to be conducted, and which areas are suspect.
He added this does not include failures or emergencies affecting the rescue workers themselves. While focusing on helping victims, teams must also remember their own safety plans.
Therefore, the purpose of forming this group is not to issue orders but to foster cooperation among teams, consolidating operational information to analyze situations and provide timely aid during the golden time. They work according to protocols, not based on feelings.
Mr. Tingli also said their frontline team began their mission at 08:20, traveling and searching through the night. They rested briefly between 5 and 6 a.m. due to rain, then resumed searching until 10:30 a.m. Everyone experienced fatigue from traversing steep 90-degree slopes.
Nevertheless, Mr. Tingli advised forest gatherers, “Knowledge and understanding of forest entry are very important. Over recent years, many people have been lost in forests across northeastern provinces. The common root cause is losing direction due to lack of preparation, such as survival gear. The first steps are to bring a phone, power bank, compass app, and download offline maps. Remember your entry direction and return the same way. ‘Know direction, know the way, be prepared, be ready.’ If you become disoriented, stop calmly, observe directions carefully, and you will avoid getting lost.”