Police duty officer Capt Teerasak Boonseang, told The Phuket News, “Witnesses saw Mr Bogdanov sunbathing on the beach and then, at about 8am, leaving his clothes on the sand and going into the water.”
An hour and a half later, he said, Mr Bogdanov’s body was found floating by the crew of a passing speedboat, who took it to the beach and called the police.
Capt Teerasak said, “His body was taken to Patong Hospital. He came to Phuket alone and was staying at the Baramee Resort in Patong.”
It was not immediately clear whether the Russian – who was described as “very large and overweight” – drowned, or whether he died from a heart attack or other medical condition.