Buddhist monk rescued after four days stuck in 'rock crevice'

An elderly Buddhist monk has survived four days trapped upside down in a narrow cave without food or water. The 77-year-old, identified as Luang Ta Somchai, vanished from the Wat Thammasathan Phasawan temple in northeastern Thailand on December 7.

Community leaders and volunteers desperately explored a 2km area around the temple in vain before he was eventually discovered on December 11, stuck in a tight rock crevice.

Rescuers had to descend into a 30-meter deep cave system to reach the Buddhist monk, finding him trapped upside down in a deep, narrow chamber. Only his feet were visible through the hole, with his head and shoulders wedged tightly into the gap.

Officers were forced to abseil head-first into the confined space to reach him. Luang Ta Somchai explained that he had entered the cave system from a different entrance and became lost in the natural maze.

“I walked through the cave but couldn’t find my way out. I had no phone, so I waited and called for help. I’m grateful to everyone who assisted me,” the monk said.

It took over three hours for rescuers to carefully maneuver Luang Ta Somchai out of the surrounding rocks. Despite enduring a four-day ordeal, doctors reported he sustained only minor injuries, primarily scratches and dehydration.

Authorities called his survival over such a long period without help “remarkable.” Rescue officer Tawadee noted, “The monk was conscious when found but physically weak.”

Similar Incidents The incident follows a similar rescue in October, where three cavers were trapped inside the Dowber Gill Passage in North Yorkshire for 42 hours. In that case, volunteers worked against increasing floodwaters to save the men, who were found sitting below ridges near a 60-foot-deep rift.