An adventure trip in Phetchabun ended with two foreign tourists seriously injured on rocks below the cliff. Their rescue took six hours. Minister Suchart says the organiser had no Forestry Department permit. Local rappelling has since been suspended.
Two foreign tourists suffered serious injuries after plunging onto rocks during an unauthorised 150-metre cliff descent in Phetchabun. Now, the organisers face possible legal action. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin confirmed they lacked permission from the Royal Forest Department. The man and woman fell near the bottom of Tad Mok Waterfall, triggering a six-hour rescue operation. Meanwhile, district officials have halted cliff rappelling pending sweeping safety inspections. The organiser denies evading responsibility, insisting its equipment was checked and participants were experienced. However, investigators are examining the circumstances of the fall, while environmental groups demand a full inquiry. The accident has raised serious questions about adventure tourism safety, operating permissions and emergency preparedness.
Cliff rappelling activities have been halted in Phetchabun after two foreign tourists suffered serious injuries during an unauthorised adventure excursion. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin confirmed Tuesday that the organiser lacked permission from the Royal Forest Department.
The tourists, a man and a woman, fell onto rocks during a 150-metre cliff descent at Tad Mok Waterfall. Both required emergency rescue and hospital treatment. Meanwhile, the organisers now face possible legal action. District officials have suspended further activities pending extensive safety inspections. The accident has also triggered demands for tighter regulation of Thailand’s adventure tourism industry.
The accident occurred on Saturday, October 10, at Tad Mok Waterfall, also known as Nam Nao Canyon. The site is located in Khok Mon subdistrict, Nam Nao district, Phetchabun province.
Suchart confirms unauthorised Phetchabun cliff descent as forestry officials prepare legal proceedings
Both foreign tourists were seriously injured after falling onto a rocky ledge near the bottom of the ravine. Their rescue took nearly six hours, with emergency personnel working to recover them from the steep terrain.
However, the fallout has moved beyond the injuries and the lengthy rescue operation. On Tuesday, October 13, Minister Suchart Chomklin confirmed that the excursion had taken place without official authorisation.
The minister received the findings from Forestry Department Director-General Nikorn Sirirojananont. The report established that the organiser had failed to obtain permission from the Royal Forest Department.
The waterfall lies within an area being prepared as the Dong Archosaur Footprints Recreational Forest. Consequently, organisers required official approval before conducting adventure activities at the site. No such permission had been granted. Suchart ordered forestry officials to gather evidence and coordinate with Nam Nao district officials over the incident.
Furthermore, the minister instructed officials to pursue the matter under applicable laws and regulations. Forestry personnel have already summoned individuals connected with the excursion for questioning. The department is now preparing a legal complaint against those responsible for organising the activity. However, no completed prosecution or conviction has been reported.
Nam Nao officials halt cliff rappelling and order fresh safety checks before approving further trips
Suchart also addressed the safety requirements governing adventure activities involving specialist equipment. He stressed that organisers must comply with legal requirements and conduct proper risk assessments. Emergency procedures and suitable equipment must also form part of the arrangements. His intervention followed mounting criticism of the excursion and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
In response, Nam Nao district officials moved to halt cliff rappelling activities in the affected area. Acting district chief Thaweesak Khambanjong convened a meeting of government departments on Monday, October 12.
The meeting took place in the second-floor conference room at the Nam Nao District Office. Officials reviewed the accident and examined existing arrangements governing high-risk adventure tourism.
The meeting unanimously agreed that forestry officials should consider cancelling previously submitted applications for rappelling activities. This would allow fresh inspections before further permissions were granted. Specifically, officials want to examine locations, ropes, equipment, rescue arrangements and emergency procedures. They also agreed that future excursions should be restricted to designated and approved locations.
Activities outside those areas would be prohibited without the necessary authorisation. Moreover, the district intends to introduce closer supervision of approved excursions. Operators must submit applications through Forest Protection Unit PCh.5 in Nam Nao. The unit will then forward applications to the central Forestry Department for consideration.
New permit rules demand emergency plans and medical checks as organiser recounts the 150-metre descent
As part of the new arrangements, organisers must provide detailed safety and emergency response plans. A district-level working group will examine the documents before any approval is granted.
Officials will also inspect conditions on the day of each authorised excursion. These checks will cover weather, environmental hazards, equipment and the preparedness of participating teams.
In addition, tourists will undergo health and medical assessments before taking part. The district is also reviewing emergency communications, rescue teams and hospital transfer arrangements. Notably, the accident required a prolonged operation to recover two injured tourists from the ravine. That rescue is now part of the district’s examination of emergency preparedness.
According to the excursion organiser, six visitors joined the activity at Tad Mok Waterfall on October 10. Four participated in the descent down the approximately 150-metre cliff. They descended in pairs, using two separate ropes. The organiser maintained that all four had previous rappelling experience and that equipment had been inspected beforehand.
Initially, the first pair completed the descent without incident. The second pair then began their descent along the same cliff. However, trouble struck after they had descended approximately 130 metres. According to the organiser, they stopped on a relatively flat ledge to adjust their equipment.
Foreign tourists fall onto rocks near ravine floor as rescuers battle for six hours to bring them out
The pause came shortly before the final section of the descent. Both tourists subsequently lost their footing and fell heavily onto rocks below. The impact occurred on a rocky ledge approximately 10 metres above the bottom of the ravine. The pair were left injured in difficult terrain, requiring emergency assistance.
The male tourist suffered injuries to his right arm and leg, with suspected fractures. Rescue workers also reported severe pain around his hips and back. Meanwhile, the female tourist complained of pain affecting her chest, back, legs and hips. Both required medical treatment following the fall.
The organiser descended to reach the injured pair before requesting assistance from rescue services. Emergency personnel began operations at approximately 1.30 pm. However, the steep terrain complicated efforts to bring the casualties back to safety. Rescue workers spent hours recovering the injured tourists from the ravine.
Eventually, both were brought to the upper area at approximately 7 pm. The operation had taken nearly six hours. The casualties were initially transported to Nam Nao Hospital for treatment. Subsequently, medical arrangements involved two hospitals approximately 70 kilometres apart.
The organiser later reported that one tourist was no longer considered critical. The other remained under medical treatment. Nevertheless, neither tourist has been publicly identified, and their nationalities have not been disclosed. Both have been described as foreign visitors.
Organiser denies evading responsibility as investigators examine equipment and missing permit
Their final medical diagnoses have also not been released. Separately, investigators have not established whether equipment failure contributed to the accident. Reports have not conclusively explained whether the tourists remained attached to safety ropes when they fell. The precise circumstances surrounding their loss of footing remain under examination.
The organiser subsequently identified itself through the Facebook page NPS Bang Ruea Hak, known in Thai as นปส.บางเรือหัก. It rejected accusations that it had attempted to avoid responsibility following the accident. Instead, the group maintained that rescuing the tourists and arranging hospital treatment had been its immediate priorities.
It also insisted that the participants had previous experience and that equipment had been checked before the descent. The organiser pledged full cooperation with police and government officials. Nevertheless, forestry investigators established that the activity had taken place without the required permission. Officials have summoned those involved for questioning and are preparing a formal legal complaint.
On another front, a separate adventure tourism organisation became caught up in the controversy. Siamese Explorers faced criticism after being publicly linked to the excursion. However, the group issued a statement denying any involvement in the accident. Its denial came as questions mounted over who organised the activity and whether it had been authorised.
Tourism figures and environmental groups demand an inquiry into safety standards after the cliff fall
The accident also drew criticism from people involved in developing tourism in Nam Nao. Wantani Lo-trakool, who has spent nearly a decade developing tourism in Khok Mon, called for a transparent investigation. Writing on Facebook, she warned that the accident could undermine confidence in the district’s tourism industry.
Separately, environmental volunteer organisations demanded a wider examination of adventure tourism safety standards. On Monday, October 12, representatives from Nam Nao and Khao Kho submitted a petition to Phetchabun Governor Saranyu Meethongkham. The delegation called for an independent fact-finding investigation into the accident.
The representatives included Thawat Chumhin, chairman of the Nam Nao district Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Volunteers network. Thawat also serves as an adviser to MP Yuparat Bua-in. He was joined by Thanadon Limcharoen, chairman of the equivalent environmental volunteer network in Khao Kho district.
In particular, the delegation demanded scrutiny of the organiser’s qualifications, operating permissions, equipment and emergency response arrangements. The representatives also called for clearer minimum safety standards governing high-risk adventure tourism. Additionally, they sought closer coordination between government departments, tourism operators and local communities.
Volunteer networks seek stronger rescue rules while officials examine licensing and the cause of the fall
The networks had already issued a statement on Sunday, October 11, proposing five areas of reform. Their proposals included stronger risk assessments, improved emergency communications and additional warning signs. They also sought clearer rescue arrangements and responsible tourism management.
The representatives maintained that they were not attempting to obstruct tourism development. Rather, they wanted improved safety arrangements while protecting the local economy and environment. Their petition followed criticism of the excursion and the discovery that it had taken place without permission.
Meanwhile, provincial officials face growing demands for an explanation of the accident and the circumstances surrounding the excursion. The organiser’s commercial licensing status has not been established in the available reports. Investigators have also not announced a definitive cause of the fall. There has been no confirmed finding that equipment failure or defective safety procedures caused the tourists’ injuries.
The Forestry Department is examining the unauthorised activity and preparing possible legal proceedings against those responsible. At the same time, Nam Nao district officials are reviewing permissions and safety requirements for future rappelling excursions. The district’s measures include restricting activities to approved locations and requiring applications through the central Forestry Department.
District maintains cliff rappelling restrictions as legal action looms over unauthorised tourist descent
Further inspections will cover ropes, equipment, emergency plans and the preparedness of activity teams. Officials will also assess weather conditions and participants’ health before approved excursions begin. Rescue arrangements are receiving particular attention following the prolonged recovery operation at Tad Mok Waterfall.
Despite the district’s intervention, no nationwide prohibition on rappelling or other adventure sports has been announced. The restrictions currently concern activities in Nam Nao district requiring Forestry Department permission. The proposed arrangements would also require organisers to demonstrate that rescue and medical transfer procedures are in place.
There is also a discrepancy in published accounts concerning the accident date. Most reports, including the district’s account, identify Saturday, October 10. However, one ministerial report carried by Thai PBS referred to October 11. The district’s account remains consistent with the organiser’s reported chronology.
As of Tuesday evening, October 13, the tourists’ identities and nationalities remained undisclosed. Their final medical diagnoses had also not been released. Meanwhile, forestry officials continued preparing possible legal action against those responsible for the excursion.
Unauthorised 150-metre cliff descent leaves two foreign tourists injured as organisers face possible legal action
The investigation has established that the 150-metre cliff descent was conducted without the required Forestry Department authorisation. Two foreign tourists were seriously injured, and emergency crews spent nearly six hours recovering them.
The organisers now face possible legal action, while further rappelling activities remain subject to district restrictions.
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For now, cliff rappelling in the affected area has been halted pending official safety reviews. Future excursions will require approved locations, detailed emergency plans and inspections before activities begin. The Forestry Department’s legal investigation continues alongside the district’s review of adventure tourism safety arrangements.
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