TRANG - Searchers on Thursday found the body of a female trekker who had been missing for four days in the Khao Chet Yot area of the Banthat mountain range in southern Thailand.
The body of the 54-year-old woman was found in the northern part of the Ton Tae waterfall in tambon Palian in Trang. It is believed that she had slipped and fallen while walking near the waterfall.
A search team was preparing to hike up to the area and bring the body down, which was expected to take three to four hours due to the difficult terrain, reports said.
More than 100 rangers, wildlife sanctuary officials and expert volunteers were involved in the search operation, amid heavy rain and poor signal conditions on Thursday.
The woman, identified only as Wanthanee, was part of a group of 13 tourists and a guide, Thai media reported.
The trip began on May 30 and was due to conclude on June 1, a total of three days and two nights, to explore Khao Chet Yot, one of Thailand’s most rewarding treks, located in the Banthat mountain range spanning Phatthalung, Trang, Satun and Songkhla provinces in the South.
The group ascended from Phatthalung and planned to descend into Trang. The Ton Tae waterfall is on the descent route from Khao Chet Yot.
As the group prepared to head down to the Trang side, Ms Wantanee reportedly requested to continue the trek alone after breakfast at around 7am, but the guide, identified as Sinruesak Choosi-on, refused.
The woman was reportedly familiar with the route, having trekked Khao Chet Yot four to five times. She told the guide she knew the path. There were no conflicts within the group, the guide said.
However, at 9am when the group was ready to go, the woman was nowhere to be found, the guide said. The team quickly contacted authorities to help organise a search.
District chief Pranet Uthairangsi established a command centre at the Nan Sato waterfall, with six search teams working day and night.
An experienced hiker, Ms Wanthanee was carrying a gas camp stove and some ready-to-eat food in her pink backpack, which had given searchers hope that she could sustain herself until found.
