Bangkok Library Digital library and information center for Bangkok, Thailand

In what must be described as a terribly unfortunate incident, a British woman was viciously attacked by a pack of monkeys while on a trip to conquer her long-standing fear of apes. The attack happened on Monkey Island, near Phi Phi Don, in the Andaman Sea off the holiday island of Phuket (pronounced poo-ket).

Dee Darwell, 56, from Peterborough lost consciousness as first one Macaque then another bit her and then she was surrounded be a whole pack. She collapsed with blood spurting from her arm and had to be rescued by Thai boatmen. Mrs Darwell does not remember how she was rescued, but was later told that the boat crew had prised the monkeys away.