Lost Israeli Tourists Evacuated After Fleeing Fire in Luang Prabang

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Authorities in Luang Prabang rescue Israeli tourists on Thursday.
Authorities in Luang Prabang rescue Israeli tourists on Thursday.

A group of Israeli tourists was rescued in Luang Prabang on Thursday after fleeing a fire while camping near Pha Ngoy mountain. 

According to the Luang Prabang Red Cross, 24-year-old Jonathan Arbel and 23-year-old Dor Sherf had been camping in a forested area when they noticed a fire coming toward them and decided to flee.

“As they ran from the fire, they encountered a two-meter drop and fell,” Mr. Sousakone Soupinthone, a red cross rescue volunteer told Laotian Times.

Jonathan suffered injuries on his head and legs, while Dor Sherf injured his hands.

The two were accompanied by a woman who has not yet been identified.

 

Early reports suggest the group witnessed an agricultural fire and mistook the blaze for a wildfire, causing them to panic and run.

Local people spotted the group and contacted the Luang Prabang Red Cross Rescue service, who dispatched a helicopter to evacuate the group, transporting them to hospital in Vientiane Capital on Friday.

Seasonal agricultural burning is common during the dry season in Laos as farmers practice slash-and-burn agriculture, which involves setting fire to large areas of land.

Luang Prabang, Xayaboury, Vientiane, Savannakhet, and Oudomxay provinces were identified as crop fire hotspots according to a new study from FAO.