A heroic rescue attempt turned deadly Tuesday afternoon when a veteran park ranger drowned while trying to recover a tourist’s dropped smartphone from raging cave waters in western Thailand. The incident has prompted the immediate closure of two popular caves in Lam Khlong Ngu National Park.

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Paisan Wanphet, 43, volunteered to dive into the rain-swollen Khlong Ngu stream inside Tham Sao Hin cave after a visitor lost their phone around 1 p.m. Witnesses described how the strong current immediately swept away the experienced ranger as he entered the water, the Bangkok Post reported.

While fellow staff evacuated 120 shocked tourists from the cave system, rescue teams launched a desperate eight-hour search. Divers ultimately recovered Paisan’s body trapped underwater at 9 p.m., pinned beneath rocks in the frigid, fast-moving stream.

A park ranger drowned while trying to retrieve a mobile phone a visitor dropped into the stream inside Tham Sao Hin cave in Thong Pha Phum district on Tuesday afternoon.

The ranger volunteered to enter rain-swollen Khlong Ngu stream to recover the tourist’s valued possession… pic.twitter.com/7FQre6ONBn

— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) April 16, 2025

“This was an exceptionally dangerous situation,” said Chutidech Kamonnachanut of Protected Area Regional Office 3. “The water temperature and sudden immersion could cause immediate muscle cramps. The currents were too powerful.”

The 500-meter-long Tham Sao Hin cave, famous for its record 62-meter limestone pillar, will remain closed along with neighboring Tham Nok Nang Aen cave indefinitely. Officials cited forecasted heavy rains that could raise water levels further.

Paisan’s family will receive 570,000 baht in compensation, but the loss has shaken Thailand’s tight-knit national parks community. The tragedy highlights the hidden dangers park staff face daily while assisting visitors in Thailand’s spectacular but unpredictable cave systems.

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Authorities urge tourists to exercise extreme caution with personal belongings near waterways, as the caves will only reopen when weather conditions stabilize. Meanwhile, colleagues remember Paisan as a dedicated ranger who made the ultimate sacrifice trying to help a visitor.

-Thailand News (TN)