Flood woman sees fiance swept away

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John Cullen, 24, was one of eight people killed when water washed away a party of tourists as they explored the cave in the Khao Sok national park in the south of the country on Saturday.

His partner, Helena Carroll, 21, of Solihull, West Midlands, survived by clinging to a ledge for 16 hours.

She said: "One minute I was in what I thought was the most beautiful place in the world. The next thing there is death all around me."

The flood was caused by heavy rainfall that sent the water surging through the cave.

The couple tried to clamber to safety after two guides, a family of four and a 10-year-old boy were swept away.

She said: "As we climbed I slipped but John grabbed me. We kept climbing higher and found a ledge. We were all alone in the dark. We could not see anything as all the torches had gone.

"John said 'If we stay here, we're going to die'. I said we should stay. But he thought the current would take him out, then he could bring help to rescue me. He slipped into the water and that's the last I ever saw of him."

As she waited alone in the dark, all she could see were insects and all she could hear was the rumbling of the water.

"I sat there shivering, with no idea what the time was. Then I saw a torch light and I started shouting 'Help, help, I'm over here'."