Nearly 200 join search for missing 7-year-old boy in Kalasin

KALASIN — 19 October 2026, Nearly 200 officials, rescue workers and local residents are searching for a seven-year-old boy who went missing while visiting a rice field with his grandparents in Khao Wong district, Kalasin, with divers checking five ponds in the area.

Thanaphon Jaikumkao, known as “Nong Boss,” disappeared on the morning of 18 October 2026 from Ban Kut Bot in Song Plueai subdistrict. He was last seen at around 13:00, while his relatives were busy unloading harvested rice from a combine harvester. The family realised he was missing at about 14:00 and immediately began searching for him.

Kalasin MP Chanaewut Uttho, who represents Constituency 6, appealed for public assistance through Facebook on the evening of 18 October. He subsequently joined rescue teams, local officials and villagers in coordinating the search.

The operation involves the Muen Hin rescue team, Asok and Muen Hin diving teams, district officials, police, volunteer territorial defence personnel, village leaders and residents. Khao Wong district chief Lt. Thawatchai Hemwang and Khao Wong Police Station superintendent Pol Col Somchai Phukongchana also assigned personnel to support the effort.

Search teams inspected five ponds in the area before suspending operations at midnight because of darkness.

At around 08:00 on 19 October, the search resumed, with more than 200 people combing nearby locations, including the family’s rice fields, surrounding areas and nearby hills. The boy had still not been found at the time of reporting.

Relatives said Nong Boss liked using a small fishing net and a strainer to catch crabs and fish in ponds. This has prompted search teams to focus on nearby water sources, with divers checking potentially hazardous locations.

On the morning of 19 October, the district chief, relatives and local representatives also took part in a traditional ceremony to symbolically open the forest and pay respects to local spirits, following local beliefs. They prayed for the search to proceed safely and for the boy to be found soon.

The rice field where the boy disappeared is about five kilometres from the main road. Authorities and volunteers continue to search the surrounding area.