THAILAND: Intoxicated British Tourist Drowns At Patong Beach In Phuket

Scott Townsend, 37, from Douglas in the Isle of Man, was reportedly seen “intoxicated” walking on Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand, last Friday at 8am local time.

A British tourist has drowned on a Thai holiday island after walking into the sea a day before he was set to fly home, police have revealed.

Locals fearing for his safety urged him not to go into the water and told him to return to his hotel.

But he reportedly ignored their advice and stayed on the beach before later being seen disappearing beneath the water.

Rescuers and police were called at 10am and spent 20 minutes searching for him before pulling his body from the sea some 10 to 15 metres from the shore.

Police said that witnesses described Mr Townsend as being drunk and that he was due to fly back to his home on the Isle of Man the next day.

Devastated friends and colleagues have paid tribute to him on social media.

Devastating news. So tragic. Another absolutely smashing lad taken far too soon,” one friend wrote.

Another added that they were absolutely gutted to hear this news.

“Scott Townsend was a great friend,” they wrote.

The Kusoldharm Foundation, a rescue group, said they helped to retrieve the body with lifeguards but Mr Townsend was already dead.

“The victim’s body was near the shore but he had drowned. We tried to save him but it was too late,” a spokesman said.

“CPR was attempted before the victim arrived at hospital. Doctors confirmed he had died.’’

Capt Yingyong from Patong Police Station said that onlookers who had seen Mr Townsend before he entered the water believed he was “an intoxicated person.”

He said that the hospital had confirmed the death as drowning. Relatives in Scotland have been informed.

The Foreign Office released a statement saying it was “assisting the family of a British man who sadly died in Patong, Thailand.”

THAILAND: Swedish Tourist Beaten Up By Patong Tuk Tuk Driver And Friends

A tuk tuk driver and four accomplices were arrested yesterday for ganging up on a Swedish tourist and beating him unconscious in Patong in the early hours of Monday morning.

Police responding to reports of the beating found Frederik Gustav Wilhelm Erikson Holm, 32, lying unconscious at the end of Soi Bangla at 3.45am. He was sent to Bangkok Phuket Hospital for treatment.

“According to witnesses, Mr Holm appeared drunk when he staggered out of Soi Bangla onto the Patong beach road and began arguing with tuk tuk driver Natee Det-oop, 27,” said Phuket Tourist Police Chief Maj Naruewat Puthawiro.

“The pair came to blows and then several other locals joined in to help the tuk tuk driver. Mr Holm was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground.”

Police soon arrested the suspects after reviewing CCTV footage. The four who came to the aid of the tuk tuk driver were named as Yosphat Chaona, 21; Sompong Wichienrat, 29; Jirawat Pratumchat, 34; and Busaron Kalupae, 28.

Police charged the five with assault.

Mr Holm’s injuries were not serious and he was later discharged from hospital.