SURAT THANI: A tourist from the Netherlands, who broke his left ankle while on a mountain trek in the island district of Koh Phangan on Saturday, was brought down to safety by rescuers late in the night, officials said.
The Dutchman, Jan Harm Kedde, 48, accompanied by a male compatriot, at about 1pm began climbing the Hat Khom mountain from Moo 7 village in tambon Ko Phangan. The summit offers a magnificent sea view.
At about 3pm, the man accidentally slipped and fell on the rock, breaking his left ankle.
On receiving a call for help,the Ko Phangan rescue centre dispatched a team of rescuers, accompanied by tourist police and personnel from the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office. They arrived at the spot at about 4pm and gave the Dutchman first-aid treatment.
The rescuers carried the injured tourist down the mountain on a stretcher. They arrived at Hat Khom beach after about two and a half hours.
They travelled further in a long-tail broad for about 30 minutes before landing at a boat pier at Moo 7 village. The injured man was then transported by ambulance to First Western Hospital Koh Phangan, where they arrived at about 10pm.