Brit tourist drowned off Thailand holiday island Phuket after walking into the sea just a day before he was due to fly home
Witnesses said Townsend, who hailed from the Isle of Man, appeared 'intoxicated' before he headed into the ocean writes thesun.co.uk
Scott Townsend, 37, from Douglas in the Isle of Man, was reportedly seen “intoxicated” walking on Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand, last Friday at 8am local time.
Locals fearing for his safety urged him not to go into the water and told him to return to his hotel.
But he reportedly ignored their advice and stayed on the beach – before later being seen disappearing beneath the water.
Rescuers and police were called at 10am and spent 20 minutes searching for him before pulling his body from the sea some ten to 15 metres from the shore.
Police said that witnesses described Scott as being drunk and that he was due to fly back to his home on the Isle of Man the next day.
One friend wrote: “Devastating news. So tragic. Another absolutely smashing lad taken far too soon,” reports the BBC.
Another added: “I am absolutely gutted to hear this news, Scott Townsend was a great friend.”
The Kusoldharm Foundation, a rescue group, said they helped to retrieve the body with lifeguards but Scott was already dead.
A spokesman said: “The victim’s body was near the shore but he had drowned. We tried to save him but it was too late.
”CPR was attempted before the victim arrived at hospital. Doctors confirmed he had died.’’
Capt Yingyong from Patong Police Station said that onlookers who had seen Scott before he entered the water believed he was “an intoxicated person.”
He said that the hospital had confirmed the death as drowning. Relatives in Scotland have been informed.
The Foreign Office released a statement saying it was “assisting the family of a British man who sadly died in Patong, Thailand.”
