A tourist group in Thailand were caught unawares as a flash flood swept into the cave they were in as they looked at bats and spiders inside the cave. The flood claimed the lives of eight people, including a 10-year old German boy, a Swiss family of four, a British tourist and two Thai guides leading the expedition. The survivor of the flood, Helena Carroll, 21, survived the flood by clambering onto a rock. Her fiancee, 24-year old John Cullen, tried to swim down the river in order to get help.
The incident took place late in the afternoon of saturday 13th October. The party were in Khao Sok national park in southern Thailand when heavy rainfall caused the water to sweep into the cave, claiming the lives of the entire party, save Ms Carroll. Both herself and Mr Cullen sought safety on the rock, but Mr Cullen left the safety of the ledge to search for aid. Helena Carroll remained on the rock until nightfall, until she was found by a rescue team in a boat, described as 'good men' by Ms Carroll.
The guides, Swiss family and the German boy were believed to have drowned whilst trapped in the cave, but Mr Cullen has been confirmed dead by drowning some way down the river. Ms Carroll said that before leaving, Mr Cullen said to her 'I love you', and then was swept down the river. In her own words, Ms Carroll described the event as "One minute I thought I was in the most beautiful place in the world. The next thing there is death all around me".