Villagers and local volunteers in Kanchanaburi carried an elderly woman 9 kilometres through continuous rain so she could reach a bank after her ATM card stopped working and she needed to verify her identity in person.
The journey took place on September 14, in a remote community in Sangkhla Buri district near the Thai-Myanmar border.
The woman, who is in her 90s and bedridden, needed to resolve the banking issue so she could access money deposited by relatives each month for her living and care expenses.
Village leaders, community security volunteers, wildfire officers, village health volunteers and residents worked together to place her on a stretcher and carry her from the village towards Ban Kong Mong Tha.
The group covered approximately 9 kilometres on foot while rain continued to fall before reaching a point accessible by car. She was then driven into Sangkhla Buri to visit a Krungthai Bank branch.
Reports said her ATM card could no longer be used for transactions, making an in-person visit necessary to verify her identity.
The village lies in a remote part of Kanchanaburi province, inside the western section of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. Cars cannot reach the community, with motorcycles normally providing the main form of vehicle access.
Thairath reported that during periods of heavy rain and flooding, even motorcycles may be unable to use the route. Residents who need medical treatment or other essential services can therefore face long journeys on foot before reaching a road accessible by car.
Similar difficulties arise when elderly or bedridden residents need hospital treatment. During the rainy season, people unable to travel independently are often carried out of the community before continuing by vehicle to Sangkhla Buri Hospital.
Images of the journey were later shared online, prompting praise for the residents and local workers who helped the elderly woman.
But the case also prompted calls for government agencies and service providers to consider mobile or alternative services for people living in remote communities, particularly elderly and bedridden residents who may otherwise have to make difficult journeys to complete routine banking or administrative procedures.
The story Kanchanaburi villagers carry elderly woman 9km to bank as seen on Thaiger News.
