Pol Lt Songpol Bunchai, a duty officer at the Ao Nang police station said the attacker identified as Apai Ruengvorn, 28, tried molesting her twice, once at the top of the cliff and again after she fell onto the rocks below on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The second time, she bit his ear and he fled. He then called 191 to
alert authorities that a tourist needed to be rescued. Miss Gavios then
endured a night of pain, trapped between rocks near
the sea with a suspected broken back, before rescuers found her on
Friday morning.
"Officials received a call
reporting that a tourist had been injured after she had fallen down a
mountain in the Railay area," Krabi Tourist Rescue Centre Director Nitiphat Mongkolpradit explained.
"Rescue workers were searching for her last night,
but they could not find her, so this morning we when out to search again
and discovered her lying in between rocks about 45 metres from the
trail at the top of the mountain. She was only 15 metres from the water
below," he added.
Sarayuth Tantein, Chief of the Haad Nopparathara National Park - Moo Ko Phi Phi said,
"Last night, park
officials, Railay residents and people from the local cliff climbing
club, all led led by park officer Boonnam Chuyradom, went to look for
the victim. They found one man, later identified as Apai
Raingworn, who admitted that he became aroused and made sexual advances toward a
tourist while taking her from Railay to Tonsai," he said.
Apai told officers that the woman panicked and ran away, causing her to fall down the mountain, Chief Sarayuth explained. The suspect was arrested
on Friday
after admitting to the crime. No charge have been filed as of yet, as
police are waiting to question the victim, Col Piyapong told the media.
The victim was taken to a clinic in tambon Ao Nang
before being transferred to Krabi Hospital. Doctors report she suffered a
broken lower back and nerve damage
requiring urgent surgery, she was transferred to Bangkok Hospital Phuket
where she underwent surgery Friday night. The surgery was successful but doctors reported numbness in her legs.
"Ms Gavios is experiencing numbness on both of her
legs and doctors have yet to confirm whether either of her legs are
broken," Nitiphat said.
Authorities notified the US Embassy, which contacted the hospital and
arranged for the victim to be transferred to Bumrungrad Hospital in
Bangkok. Her current condition is not known.
Source: Bangkok Post/Phuket News
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