Romanian tourist was swimming at Samui waterfall before death plunge
Rescue workers took three hours to retrieve the body of a Romanian woman who plunged from the top of a Koh Samui waterfall where she had been swimming on Saturday.
Workers finally managed to retrieve the body of Nane-Iosana Bodea, 23, a Romanian national who lived in Austria, at 6.30pm, about three hours after police were alerted of the accident.
Bodea was staying at the Bang Po Village hotel in tambon Mae Nam on the north side of Koh Samui.
She and her boyfriend visited the Na Muang 2 Waterfall at noon on Saturday, according to Surat Thani tourism official Kritchakorn Chusri.
Na Muang police arrived at the scene to find Bodea unresponsive and without a pulse.
Pol Senior Sgt Maj Watcharin Phetnoo said the woman was visiting the top of the falls with her Austrian boyfriend when she plunged 20 metres down to the next level.
Rescuers had to use a long rope to lower the body from the fourth tier of the waterfall.
Her remains were sent to Koh Samui Hospital for an autopsy.
Kritchakorn, whose duty is to provide emergency help to foreign tourists, quoted the woman’s boyfriend as saying that they climbed to the top of the falls at noon.
The boyfriend said he and Bodea decided to swim in a small pool at the edge of the waterfall because the weather was hot. But the spot was slippery and the woman lost her footing and fell not long after the two got into the water.
The tourist said he attempted to resuscitate her heart while shouting for help. His shouts attracted the attention of nearby Thai tourists, who alerted the police.
The boyfriend said Bodea died before rescuers arrived at the scene.
