A 77-year-old Buddhist monk has been rescued after surviving for four days while trapped upside down in a deep, narrow cave system in northeastern Thailand.
The Disappearance and Desperate Search
Luang Ta Somchai, a monk from the Wat Thammasathan Phasawan temple, was reported missing on December 7. For days, volunteers and local leaders combed a two-kilometre radius around the temple with no success. The breakthrough came on December 11, when the elderly monk was finally located deep within a complex network of caves.
A Perilous and Unusual Rescue Mission
Rescuers faced an extremely challenging operation. They had to descend 30 metres (98 feet) into the cave to reach the monk, who was stuck in the tight confines of a third chamber. The situation was highly unusual; all that was visible from the access point were his feet, with his head and shoulders firmly wedged into a rock crevice above.
Officers were forced to abseil head-first into the confined space to reach him. The delicate extraction took more than three hours as they carefully worked to free him from the surrounding rocks.
A Remarkable Tale of Survival
Speaking after his rescue, Luang Ta Somchai explained he had entered the cave from a different entrance and became lost in what he described as a "natural labyrinth." With no mobile phone, his only option was to wait and call for help. "I'm thankful to all the people who helped me," he said.
Medical staff confirmed the monk suffered only minor injuries and dehydration, a fact authorities called "remarkable" given he spent four days without food or water while trapped in such a precarious position. Rescue officer Tawadee noted, "The monk was conscious when found but physically weak. He had scratches all over his body."
This incident follows another significant cave rescue in the UK earlier this year. In October, a major operation in North Yorkshire successfully freed three cavers who had been trapped for 42 hours in the Dowber Gill Passage, highlighting the global risks and demands of underground rescue missions.
