News Digest

Naked bodies of two British tourists found on idyllic Thai island beach

The naked bodies of two British tourists who had apparently been attacked with a hoe have been found on a beach, police have said. The victims—believed to be a 23-year-old woman from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and 24-year-old man from Jersey—were found with severe head wounds on a rocky beach on Koh Tao, an island in Surat Thani province known for its diving sites and stunning beaches. The victims’s clothes and a hoe with blood stains were found nearby, Colonel Prachum Ruangthong from Thailand’s police force said.

We are aware of the death of two British nationals on 15 September on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. The Embassy are urgently seeking information from the local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance as needed.

British Foreign Office spokesman

Police suspect the two were slain with the hoe, leaving deep wounds on their heads. The pair were at a party on Sunday night 100 metres from where their bodies were found, Sky sources understand. Investigators have been checking CCTV footage from nearby restaurants, hotels and shops for clues. Local reports claim the woman had been raped but Ruangthong would not confirm this. Police are understood to be in the process of contacting the victims’s families.