Volunteer Killed After Battling Chiang Mai Wildfires
Tragedy struck in Chiang Mai when Manit Sawansu, 62, a volunteer ranger with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, died in a motorcycle accident after a long day fighting wildfires in Khun Khan National Park.
Manit and 25 others had been battling fires near Kong Khak Luang village in Samoeng Tai from 1:30 PM to about 8 PM on Sunday. His body and motorcycle were discovered around 8:30 PM, having veered two meters off a hill road, according to park chief Thaweewat Daengmanee.
Officials believe exhaustion from the day’s hard labor may have contributed to the fatal accident. His body was sent to Samoeng Hospital for a postmortem examination.
“This is yet another loss, a person who gave his life to help save the country’s natural resources,” Mr. Thaweewat said.
A picture taken on Sunday shows volunteer Manit Sawansu, on the right in the red circle, with other members of his firefighting team. He died a few hours later. (Photo: Panumate Tanraksa)
