At 5:20pm, the Phuket Marine Biology Centre and Kongkiet Kittiwattanawong of the Marine Endangered Species Unit were called to Bang Tao Beach where a juvenile dolphin had been washed up in front of the Sunwing Resort and Spa.
Marine Biology Centre officials arrived with Kusoldharm rescue workers to find around 50 tourists and residents gathered on the beach all wanting to catch a glimpse of the dolphin.
Some people had tried to put the dolphin back out to sea but in kept coming back.
Marine Biology Centre officials took the dolphin from the sea and transported it to Thalang Hospital where it was given oxygen and put on an intravenous drip.
Officials were transferring the dolphin to the Phuket Marine Biology Centre for further examination when it died.
An official from the Marine Biology Centre said, “It was a bottlenose dolphin weighing around 70-80 kilos. It may have had an infection of somekind which is why it wanted to be close to the shore and wouldn't swim back out to sea.”