Rescue teams search for Dutch boy, 18, missing in forest in Thailand

Rescue teams are searching for a Dutch tourist who went missing on a hike through a forest in southern Thailand.

Tim Bakker, 18, was trekking with his parents through the Khao Hang Nak nature trail in Krabi province on Wednesday afternoon, July 31.

While they were hiking back down from a viewpoint on the hill later in the evening, the family had to pause at a rest stop as Tim was already exhausted and starving.

His parents left him behind to get some food and water but he had already disappeared by the time they returned.

Village council chief Somsak Tebbut said: 'The boy's parents tried calling their son's mobile phone, but no one answered, so they went back down to notify the park officials to launch a search.'

The search was still ongoing today, August 1.

Yuthapong Damsrisuk, chief of the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park, said personnel with expertise in high-altitude rescue operations have been dispatched to rappel down a cliff near the rest stop.

Drones will also be deployed to aid in the search.

Yuthapong said: 'Currently, we still cannot verify whether the tourist is safe or not. We detected a phone signal at the base of the cliff near the resting spot, which we will thoroughly search today with the aid of a drone.

'As for the cause of his disappearance and whether he fell, we will discuss it with his parents again.'

Thailand's sprawling jungles and forests are notoriously dangerous. There are deadly snakes, lizards and spiders and well as limited phone connectivity or source of refreshments.

Hundreds of holiday makers go missing or get injured in the wilderness every year.