At 4:30pm yesterday (21 June), officers from Chalong Police were informed that a Chinese tourist had drowned at Patok Bay, Koh Racha while another two had been saved by lifeguards.
The body of the deceased, named as Su Wang, 30, was taken back to Chalong Pier by speedboat where Maj Tada Sodarak from the Chalong Police, Phuket Marine Police, Tourist Police, and rescue workers from Phuket Ruam Chai Rescue Foundation were waiting.
Officers carried out a preliminary check on Mr Su and found that he had been dead for about one hour. There were no wounds or any traces of an attack on the body.
Mr Su’s body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.
The two tourists who had been saved, Liang Yu Lin, 29, and Pu Bin, 26, were also taken to hospital as they had suffered minor injuries and taken in water.
Police have said that the Chinese tourists booked a tour via the Apple Tour Company and travelled to Koh Racha Island with Nonthasak Marine.
There were a total of 35 tourists in the tour group.
At 12:30pm, after the tourists had finished their lunch, Mr Su, Mr Liang and Mr Pu went out into the water without life jackets and without telling the tour guides.
A lifeguard from a nearby hotel saw the tourists get pulled out by waves so went out with other lifeguards to try to assist. They managed to pull Mr Liang and Mr Pu from the water but could not find Mr Su.
Officials searched the area but could not find a body.
A short time after a passing speedboat saw a body floating in the water and raised the alarm.
After being informed of the drowning, at 5:40pm yesterday, Phuket Vice Governor Thawornwat Kongkaew, Director of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Prapan Kanprasang, chief of the Phuket Tourist Police Maj Eakkachai Siri, and Busaba Jaipium from the Phuket Public Relations Department went to Vachira Phuket Hospital to visit Mr Su’s family.
They then visited Mr Liang and Mr Pu who were receiving treatment at Bangkok Hospital Phuket.
V/Gov Thawornwat said, “Phuket expresses sincere condolences to the family of deceased and will contact the China Consul-General for continued help.
“I would like to point out that guides are strict when it comes to taking care of tourists. However, we will carry out a check to see if there are a sufficient number of lifeguards stationed at Koh Racha for the number of tourists who visit the island.”