TRANG, THAILAND – After a four-day search, rescue teams recovered the body of 53-year-old hiker N.S. Wantanee Lekwannawiset in the Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary in Trang Province. The woman was found in a waterfall pool below a steep cliff, and police are continuing to investigate the exact cause of death.
Body recovered in waterfall pool
The recovery team found the deceased hanging on a rock in the “Nhan Yan Sai” waterfall area, face down. Above the discovery site is an approximately 20-meter-high vertical rock face, believed to be the point of descent. The identity of the deceased was confirmed as N.S. Wantanee Lekwannawiset (also known as Ae), aged 53, from Nonthaburi Province, who was carrying a backpack.
Search party battled rain for hours
Approximately 30 individuals from the forestry department, administrative offices, and local rescue teams began the recovery operation on June 4th at 4:45 PM, ascending from the Ton Te waterfall. The ascent to the discovery site took about three hours, with the entire recovery effort lasting six hours. The helpers had to wade through streams and overcome difficult terrain amid heavy rain and flash floods before packing the body into a sealed bag and carrying it down into the valley on a stretcher with wooden poles.
Clues led to the watercourse
Searchers previously found wet wipes, electrolyte powder packets, excrement, and later a gas cartridge, along with marked bamboo shoots and gnawed galangal pieces that served as trail markers. These clues narrowed the search radius and helped follow the watercourse. The route is not an official hiking trail and is considered very steep and dangerous; investigators suspect the woman became lost at a fork in the path and headed towards Ton Te instead of Nan Sato waterfall.
Guide fell ill during operation and was airlifted
A local guide who assisted in the recovery became ill and extremely exhausted during the operation, according to rescue personnel. Rescue plans were altered to first bring the sick individual to flatter ground near Moo 2 and then transfer them to a Palian Hospital ambulance at 10:52 PM. Due to the impassable terrain, it was simultaneously decided to bring the body down at a different location, making the journey to the pickup truck approximately 1–2 kilometers longer than planned.
Autopsy revealed forehead wound – Police investigating
A wound on the forehead was discovered during the initial examination at Palian Hospital; the body was then transferred to Songklanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai for a detailed autopsy. Afterward, the body is expected to be handed over to relatives in Khon Kaen Province. Investigators believe the woman may have slipped on the cliff and was further hindered by her approximately 15-kilogram backpack during the fall; the police are continuing to investigate the exact cause of death.