From the BKK post today ( and also heard on the news in Europe that some Scandinavians were among the casualties):
Six European tourists killed in Thai cave flood
Bangkok - A cave flood in southern Thailand killed six European tourists and their two Thai guides, with only one British woman surviving the 20-hour ordeal, park officials said Sunday.
Heavy rains inundated Nam Talu Cave in Koh Sok National Park of Surat Thani, about 400 kilometres south of Bangkok, while the seven tourists were visiting the popular site with two Thai tour guides Saturday afternoon, said park deputy chief Thirayudh Mungpaisan.
Rescue workers retrieved eight bodies from the cave, including those of the two Thai tour guides, four Swiss nationals, one Briton and a German boy, Thirayudh told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
British national Helena Christina Carroll, 21, was found alive around noon on Sunday after spending nearly 20 hours trapped in the flooded cave.
"The flood waters had taken her up to the roof of the cave and when the water receded she was stuck up there and couldn't get down," said Thirayudh. "When she heard the rescuers she called for help and they found her."
Originally the group was thought to comprise only German tourists as the Swiss nationals were German-speakers, said Thirayudh.
Police identified the foreign victims as a Swiss family including Benno Fisher, 49, Stalder Fisher, 48, Ambarea Fisher, 17, and Sarah Fisher, 15, plus British national John Nicholas Cullan, 24, and Eddie Gaempe, 10, of Germany.
The mother of the dead child had not joined the outing.
"She didn't think it would be dangerous because there were many adults on the boat," said Surat Thani Police Lieutenant Colonel Phicarn Galayaseri.
Thirauydh said the group had a taken a boat to the cave, about 3 kilometres from their bungalows, and were caught inside during a three-hour rainstorm that inundated the cavern.
He claimed that park officials had issued warnings to tourists about the dangers of visiting the cave during the rainy season.
The tourists had been staying on floating bungalows on the Koh Sok reservoir.