PATTAYA — A navy helicopter flew a 37-year-old Greek climber to safety after he got himself stranded on a 300-metre cliff on Koh Larn for three hours.
A navy emergency crew airlifted 37-year-old Greek climber Bouras Thedoras after he was stranded for three hours on a sheer cliff face on Koh larn near Pattaya on Tuesday. (Photo by Jerdsak Sangthongcharoen)
Bouras Thedoras was stuck on a ledge on the Yak mountain cliff, approximately 150 metres from the ground, near Samae beach on Tuesday evening. He got stuck after discovering halfway up the ledge that the conditions were too soft for him either to continue up or go down. The cliff stands vertically at almost 90 degrees and its peak is about 300 metres high.
The climber shouted for help at a passing fishing boat and police and rescuers were alerted about the incident at about 5pm.
A rescue crew from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation arrived on a speedboat only to find they lacked the experience and equipment to help. They then contacted Sattahip Naval Base, which sent a rescue helicopter.
A navy emergency crew reportedly roped down from the helicopter to aid Mr Thedoras and took him to U-Tapao airport in Rayong. The Greek climber, who appeared exhausted and sustained scratches on his body, was later sent to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.
Mr Thedoras said he is an experienced climber and had scaled several cliffs in Krabi and Phuket. When he visited Koh Larn, he felt the Yak cliff was challenging.