Buriram girl, 8, found by police after 3km trek to see elephants

At 9.30pm on Sunday, officers from Nang Rong Police Station and Rescue Team in Buriram province were notified about a little girl walking alone along the Buriram-Nang Rong road. A concerned citizen had taken her to a nearby petrol station for safety.

Upon investigation, the authorities found the girl, eight-year-old "Nam". When asked, she explained that she was going on a school trip with her teacher to see elephants in Surin province. Fearing she might miss the bus, she packed her bag with supplies and started walking to the school, which was about 3 kilometres from her home. In her bag, they found snacks and milk.
 

Nam shared that she was excited to see real elephants because she had never seen one in person before. Initially, her mother had told her to go to sleep, and she did, but later woke up, thinking it was already morning. 

Worried that she might miss the bus, she dressed and set out on foot. Nam had walked about 2km before being found, just 1km short of the school.

The rescue team safely brought her back home. Surprisingly, her mother was unaware that her daughter had left. The rescue team advised the mother not to scold her daughter before reuniting them.

Kanokporn, 29, Nam's mother, said she knew her daughter was excited about the field trip, which is why she had her go to bed early. She had no idea when her daughter left the house, only finding out when the authorities returned her.