All three dead tourists died while posing for photographs at the waterfall on different levels. Two died while trying to take selfie shots while one, Spaniard David Rocamundi Conesa from Barcelona died while posing for a shot to be taken by friends after they had climbed to the highest point of the Na Muang waterfall.
A Romanian tourist from Austria died on Saturday at the Na Muang waterfall in Ko Samui when she fell from the highest point of the popular Ko Samui tourist attraction while trying to take a selfie photograph. Her death is the third such incident since July 2019 with a Spanish and French tourist also meeting their deaths at the same location while trying to take holiday snaps.
Thai police on Ko Samui are investigating the death of a Romanian woman at Na Muang waterfall on the island on Saturday afternoon.
An autopsy was ordered on the body of 23-year-old Nane-Losana Bodea after she slipped from the highest point of the waterfall at the popular tourist attraction sometime between 12 noon and 3 pm on Saturday last.
Deceased woman was from Romania but lived in Austria, climbed the peak on Saturday with a friend
It is understood that the deceased woman lived in Austria from where she flew to Thailand. Both countries are members of the European Union.
She was a guest of the Bang Po Village Resort in the northern part of Ko Samui.
On Saturday, Ms Krittakorn Chusri, the Tourist Assistance Officer for Surat Thani revealed details of the incident to the press.
She said that the 23-year-old had climbed up to the waterfall around noon on Saturday with a companion. They had made their way up to the top of the waterfall at the fifth or highest level.
Given that the weather was extremely hot, the pair had decided to bathe in the pool located near the edge of the cliff where there is also a lot of lemongrass to be found.
23-year-old woman was taking a selfie photo when she slipped on the rocks and fell to the next level
Later reports also suggest that Ms Nane-Iosana was in the process of taking a selfie photograph with her smartphone when she slipped on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, fell over the edge and on down to the next level.
Her companion ran down to locate her and found the young woman still alive but breathing heavily.
He asked for help from nearby Thai tourists and tried to revive the young woman with CPR but she died shortly after.
Ms Nane-Iosana had sustained severe injuries to the back of her head after falling onto the rocks.
Two-hour rescue operation to retrieve the body
Police Major General Watcharin Petchnu of the Royal Thai Police who have a subunit near the park, said that police were notified at approximately 3 pm and at once sent rescue teams and officers to the location.
Chayapon Intarasupa, the Mayor of Ko Samui district, said that when officials arrived at the scene the young woman’s pulse was unresponsive.
The woman’s body was found on the fourth level and a rescue team used ropes and a stretcher to move the body onto a path where it took two hours to bring it down from the Waterfall to the ground below with the stretcher being carried by rescuers.
The body was then taken to a hospital for an autopsy that has been ordered.
Not the first incident following the deaths of French and Spanish tourists in 2019 while taking photos
This is not the first such incident at the waterfall.
In November 2019, a 30-year-old French tourist, Bastien Palmier, while visiting the waterfall with a friend who had just moved to Ko Samui to live, fell to his death from the fourth level of the same tourist attraction to the second level after he had ignored warning signs and cordons to take a more impressive selfie photograph at the location.
French man ignored official warnings and a cordon as he died taking a selfie at a popular Ko Samui waterfall
Like Ms Bodea, the French man suffered severe head injuries including a split forehead after he hit jagged rocks in the course of his fall and landed face down in a pool on the second level of the Na Muang waterfall.
Spanish tourist in 2019 fell from the same spot
At the time Mr Bastien’s death was the second in four months following a similar incident on Saturday 27th July 2019 when Spanish tourist, David Rocamundi Conesa from Barcelona, also died at the same place while trying to snap an impressive selfie to share with friends online.
The 26-year-old Spaniard had been posing at the top of the waterfall at the same spot where the Romanian woman fell on Saturday for friends to take his photograph when he slipped and fell to his death.
Ko Samui authorities have deployed security protocols at the top tourist attraction to address the risk
The Na Muang waterfall is located about 10km from the town of Nathon on the island’s western coast.
It is one of the most popular tourist attractions on Ko Samui and brings in large numbers of visitors both from abroad and within Thailand each year.
Thai authorities have posted many warnings to tourists about the dangers at the location and deployed several security protocols in response to earlier accidents
The waterfall is approximately 8o metres in height and visitors are attracted by the beauty of the rapids in full flow with foamy water over the purple coloured rock faces.
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