Mr Tzouvanni said that his brother was a regular visitor to Phuket, and had called him the night of the fire, telling him, “I’m in the Tiger disco and there’s a fire.” After that the line went dead.
Repeated attempts to contact Michael since then had been unsuccessful.
Hearing about the disaster at the disco, Mr Tzouvanni decided to fly straight to Thailand to try to find Michael. He still hopes he will find him alive.
Michael was staying in the Sand Inn on Soi Sansabai. The receptionist there told The Phuket News that he was booked in for two weeks, and that he returned to the hotel every evening. Since the fire, however, he had not been seen at the hotel and all his luggage was still in his room.
Pol Capt Urumporn Koondejsumit, inspector of Tourist Police told the newspaper that Joseph Tzouvanni had supplied DNA samples and also a toothbrush used by his brother to aid in identification. These have been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bangkok.
The brothers are both directors of Tzouvanni Properties, a family-owned real estate and letting agency in north London.