Trail runners rescued after flash flood hits Phu Kradueng National Park
About 30 trail runners in Loei’s Phu Kradueng National Park had to be rescued on Saturday night after becoming stranded by a flash flood.
Renowned athlete Itthipol Samutthong alerted authorities via Facebook that a stream had become a torrent, cutting off athletes competing in the "Ultra-Trail Phu Kradueng Wake Up Run 2022".
Officials rushed to the scene, located about one kilometre from the finish line, and managed to secure a rope across the river.
Video footage shows the runners wading waist-deep through the strong current in the dark as they cling to the rope for safety.
Itthipol posted on Facebook again at 11.43pm, thanking officials for helping the runners out of a tight spot.
Phu Kradueng National Park chief Adisorn Hemthanon said the incident was caused by heavy rain. He added that most of those trapped were athletes who had set off on Saturday morning to run 100-kilometre and 50-kilometre routes.
"We managed to help all runners to cross the creek after the water receded at around 10pm," he said.
More than 1,000 athletes participated in the ultra-trail run, which began at 5am on Saturday and ended 11am on Sunday.
