Malinois Nicolaas Hinckxt traveled in the company of Tom De Graef, among others. Tom was seriously injured in a collision on Tuesday and is now in hospital in Bangkok. “Before he can be repatriated, he is still waiting for a medical check-up,” said those close to him.
And then the worst was yet to come: it all went wrong for Nicolas while rafting. “The victim was rafting with two friends when he fell from the boat and ended up in the Mae Taeng River,” Thai media reported. “The guide threw another rope at the victim, but he was unable to grab the rope. Not much later he disappeared into the raging water.” Thai TV channel Channel 7 showed images of Nicholas’s broken helmet and confirmed that his life jacket has been found.
worried
Nicolaas has a Belgian father and a Thai mother. He has dual citizenship himself. His wife, with whom he has a son, is Thai. “That is why the holiday naturally took place in Thailand,” his niece Elise Hinckxt told Het Nieuwsblad. Nicolaas’ father left for Thailand on Saturday. Family and friends are also going through difficult times at the moment. “We know nothing more than what the Thai media reports,” says Elise. “The concern is enormous.”
Heavy rain
The search continued until late Friday night, but rescuers were eventually forced to call it off due to heavy rain. The action continued on Saturday. More than 50 police and rescue workers were involved, according to a Thai source. Drones were also used to search for the victim, but to no avail.
The manager of Sirinan Villa Nimman in Chiang Mai, the hotel where Nicholas stayed, confirms that his guest has been reported missing. “He made the reservation with us,” he says. “I went to the hotel on Saturday, but none of his party was there. They probably moved to the Mae Tang sub-region, where the accident occurred.”