Missing Dutch hiker, 18, found dead following cliff fall on family trip to Thailand
Published date: Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:32:44 +0700
A Dutch teenager who disappeared while hiking with his parents on a family holiday in Thailand has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff.
Tim Bakker, 18, had walked up the mountain with his mother and father but they returned back to base to get food and drinks when he began feeling unwell.
However, while they were away the youngster, from Heiloo, plunged to his death from the cliff at the Khao Hang Nak nature trail in Krabi province on July 31.
Rangers launched a search after his parents, Karin Monique Valkhoff and Rinus Gerard Bakker, reported that he vanished from the Nak Waterfall rest stop, where they parted.
Rescuers launched a search and finally found Tim's body at around 1:30 pm on August 1, lying at the base of a nearby cliff where his phone signal had been detected.
A team descended 70 meters (230ft) down the cliff at the viewpoint to collect the teen's body.
Yuthapong Damsrisuk, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park, said: 'It is believed that he may have fallen down.
'The officers were searching the area since yesterday for about 20 hours until they finally found him.
'From the initial conversation with the parents of the deceased, they said that while they were returning from the viewpoint, their son felt exhausted and wanted to rest for a while.
'They went down to get him some water, but when they returned, they could not find him.
'The police are still investigating if it was an accident.'
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.
In January 2023, A German tourist, 31, plunged to his death from the same viewpoint on Khao Ngon Nak mountain.
The tourist spot, also known as 'Dragon's Crest', is popular for its picturesque views of the sunrise and the Krabi Sea.
