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Tourists die in Thai cave floods Tourists die in Thai cave floods
(about 6 hours later)
Six Western tourists and two Thai guides have died after being swept away by flash floods in Thailand while exploring a cave, police have said.Six Western tourists and two Thai guides have died after being swept away by flash floods in Thailand while exploring a cave, police have said.
The group were trekking through the Khao Sok national park, in Surat Thani province, when heavy rainfall caused the water level in the cave to rise. The group were trekking through the Khao Sok national park, in Surat Thani province, when the cave flooded.
The authorities have not identified the nationalities of those drowned and a seventh group member is still missing. The dead have not been officially identified, but reports say a British man, four Swiss nationals and a German boy were among them.
The dead were identified as three women, two men and a child. One person survived and unofficial reports say she was 17 and British.
District official Sitichai Thaicharoen told news agency AFP that one of those drowned was reported to be a German boy. According to the Thai newspaper the Bangkok Post, the seven tourists and their Thai guides had travelled by boat from Ratchapraphra dam to the cave on Saturday.
He said a rescue team was still searching for the missing member of the group, possibly a man. The area inside the cave was flooded following a heavy downpour, which began about an hour before the party of tourists began their journey, it said.
'Signs' 'Trapped'
The victims were trekking through the national park, which lies 650km (400 miles) south of Bangkok, late on Saturday afternoon when the heavy rainfall caused flash floods sending water surging in the cave, which was near a waterfall, according to police Lt Col Pichan Kanayasiri. The group had been visiting the Khao Sok national park in Ban Ta Khun district, which lies 650km (400 miles) south of Bangkok.
According to police Lieutenant Colonel Pichan Kanayasiri the heavy rainfall caused flash floods, which sent water surging into the cave, which was near a waterfall.
"The tourists were inside the cave and didn't know what was happening outside. They were trapped inside the cave," Lt Col Pichan told news agency AFP.
According to Mr Kanayasiri, a British woman was the only survivor, who escaped by clinging to the ceiling of the cave. She was found alive after a long search, he said.
Other reports say the woman was aged 17, although the authorities have not confirmed the nationalities or identities of any of those involved.
'Warning'
A senior Thai government official is due to travel to the Surat Thani province on Sunday to begin an investigation into the incident, the Bangkok Post reported.
Chalermsak Wanichsombat, director-general of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department told the paper that officials at the park had warned tourists not to travel because of heavy downpours in the area.
A Belgian tourist was killed by a flash flood in the same cave several years ago.A Belgian tourist was killed by a flash flood in the same cave several years ago.
The province's governor, Winai Phopradit, told the Associated Press news agency he had ordered the national park to close during the current rainy season.The province's governor, Winai Phopradit, told the Associated Press news agency he had ordered the national park to close during the current rainy season.
"We have signs both in English and Thai warning tourists not to go into the cave during heavy rains," he said."We have signs both in English and Thai warning tourists not to go into the cave during heavy rains," he said.