Manhoe Lai, 31, was on holiday in Phuket with his wife. He was enjoying a swim at the hotel pool and had been swimming for a while, when he appeared to get into trouble.
Lt Thanom Thongpan, of Tah Chat Chai Police, said Mr Lai was in the pool and his wife was watching.
“She said she saw him stop at one corner of the pool, and she took his photograph. Then she looked the other way and heard a shout, like someone was drowning.”
Mr Lai’s wife initially did not think it was him. She stood up to see what had happened and saw some tourists pull him out of the pool. Hotel staff tried to resuscitate him.
He was rushed to Thalang Hospital and when his condition did not improve after 15 minutes, he was passed to Bangkok Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. He died this morning.
Lt Thanom said that Mr Lai’s wife confirmed he was healthy, and they both recently underwent health checks to prepare for conceiving their first baby.
“We are still waiting for information from the medical team at Bangkok Hospital,” Lt Thanom said.