Search efforts entered a fourth day today, June 4, as more than 100 people continued looking for a missing Thai woman who disappeared while trekking in a forest area on the border of Trang and Phatthalung provinces.
The search operation involves local woodsmen, residents, wildlife sanctuary officials, park rangers and administrative officers attempting to locate 53 year old Wantanee, also known as Ae, who went missing on June 1 after separating from her group during a trekking trip.
According to ThaiRath, Wantanee is from Nonthaburi province. She was part of a group of 10 friends who travelled from Bangkok to Phatthalung to trek along the Khao Jed Yod route within Khao Banthat Wildlife Sanctuary.
Her friends reported that the group arrived in Phatthalung on May 30 and began a three-day, two-night trekking programme. On the first night, they camped above Praiwan Waterfall.
The following day, May 31, the group established another campsite higher up the mountain, where they stayed alongside around 20 other travellers and four local guides.
On the morning of June 1, the trekkers began their descent from the mountain. According to her friends, Wantanee packed her belongings before the rest of the group and informed them she intended to start walking ahead of everyone else.
Friends reportedly asked her to wait and continue the journey with the group, but she chose to proceed alone.
When the rest of the trekkers arrived at Nan Sato Waterfall, a designated resting point along the route, Wantanee was not there as expected.
Local guides immediately began searching for the missing woman and attempted to follow her footprints. However, heavy rain reportedly hampered the search and made tracking efforts difficult.
The operation has continued since June 1, with additional personnel joining the effort each day. According to KhaoSod, search teams recently discovered potential evidence believed to be linked to Wantanee. Officials found wet tissues and human waste in the forest that are suspected to belong to the missing trekker.
Searchers reported that the waste appeared fresh, leading them to believe that Wantanee may still be somewhere in the area.
Authorities, volunteers and local residents continue to search the forest and surrounding mountain terrain in the hope of locating the missing person safely.
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