Phuket Tourist Police Chief Lt Col Naruewat Puttawiro was notified this morning (Dec 6) that the body of a 75-year old Austrian tourist (name withheld until his family have been notified) would be arriving by boat at Chalong Pier and that the body was to be transported to Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Lt Col Naruewat learned that the man died at around 4pm yesterday while on a snorkeling trip with his friends.
“We learned that the victim arrived in Thailand with ten friends on November 27 and that the group rented a yacht from Yacht Haven in Mai Khao to go on a trip to Langkawi in Malaysia.
“The yacht stopped at Koh Rok where the victim and four others went for snorkelling. The deceased went into shock and fell unconscious.
“The group took the victim to hospital but it was too late,” Lt Col Naruewat said.
Tourist police are currently in the process of notifying the Austrian Consulate in Phuket.