Toskardal Hanne Schchikora, 76, was found lying exhausted under a tree in a thickly wooded area behind Golden Beach Cha-Am Hotel in the resort town around 6pm on Wednesday, Thairath Online reported.
The woman, wearing a pink blouse and and long black pants, sustained leg injuries and some bruises from falling. Rescue workers used a stretcher to carry Mrs Schchikora from the area. She was taken to Cha-am Hospital for a check-up, which showed she was exhausted due to lack of sleep.
Her Norwegian friends sighed in relief after a police-led search team found her after she disappeared Tuesday afternoon. Mrs Schchikora and her friends visited Cha-am beach and stayed at Paisiri Hotel at Cha-am Nua 3.
Before getting lost, Mrs Schchikora told her friends that she would go for a stroll along Cha-am beach about 4pm. At about 7pm, she phoned one of her friends, saying she fell while walking, causing her to suffer leg injuries. She said she could not walk and thought she would faint. Shortly later, the line disconnected, prompting her friends to look for her with no success.
At about 8pm, the woman phoned her friends again that she was too hurt to walk and could not see the path in the dark. She asked for help before her voice disappeared, prompting her friends to alert Cha-am police.
Police and rescue workers searched until 1am on Wednesday, but to no avail. The search continued at 9am with a police helicopter, border-patrol officers, volunteers and rescue workers deployed to the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation's 3rd training area in Cha-am.
An interpreter also joined the search team to help communicate with the Norwegian tourist. During the conservation, Mrs Schchikora told the interpreter that she heard the sound of the helicopter nearby and the sound of people's voices calling her. However, she was unable to stand up due her leg injury.
She was finally found on the far side of the training centre grounds. Her Norwegian friends thanked the search team for helping find their friend.
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