Uncle and Nephew Found Safe After Week Lost in Forest

PHAYAO — Relatives and residents in Phayao broke down in tears of relief after two villagers who had been missing for seven days in forest in Chiang Muan district were found safe.

The two men, identified as 74-year-old Nak Kamlue and 20-year-old Rames Jan Daeng, both residents of Ban Pin, Moo 3, Chiang Muan subdistrict, disappeared after entering a remote forest area and lost contact with their families.

Earlier on 14 August, relatives and local residents performed a traditional ceremony known as "opening the forest", making offerings and asking forgiveness from the spirits believed to protect the land and mountains. They prayed for the forest to open a safe path for rescue teams to locate the missing men and bring them home.

The breakthrough came when search teams operating deep inside the forest contacted the joint search command centre by radio to report that they had found both missing men.

The news immediately brought an emotional scene at the command centre in Chiang Muan district. Relatives who had been anxiously waiting for updates burst into tears, hugged one another and cried with relief after spending a week fearing for the men's safety.

Officals initially reported that both men were safe. Rescue teams were working to bring them out of the forest and hand them over to medical and public health personnel for health assessments and first aid.

The discovery followed seven days of intensive search efforts involving rescue workers, officials, community leaders and local residents. Search teams had faced dense forest and difficult terrain that made access to the area challenging.

Authorities are still awaiting further details, including the exact location where the two men were found, their physical condition and the route used by rescuers to reach them.

The Chiang Muan Subdistrict Municipality's joint missing-person search command centre is expected to release further official information.