Tourist found dead wearing only underwear near popular Thailand beach
A tourist has been found dead floating in the waters of the coast in Thailand wearing nothing but his underpants.
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The unidentified 41-year-old male, is thought to be an Australian national reported missing by his wife in Phuket on 7 May.
His body was spotted by a patrolling lifeguard at Thailand's Freedom Beach, a tourist hotspot, floating around 65ft from the shore.
First responders arrived on the scene after they were alerted, to discover the man wearing just black underpants.
They dragged his body to the shore with ropes amid powerful waves.
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Police Lieutenant Colonel Wiwat Chamnankit said his next of kin has been informed, adding that police "believe that the sea currents were too strong for him to swim back to land".
“Tourists should not go in the sea during these conditions when there are strong waves, unless they are with an experienced guide,” he said.
His body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where an autopsy is set to take place.
This comes after a British tourist's naked body was found on a beach in Thailand back in December.
His heartbroken family were left desperate for answers about his death, which occurred in mysterious circumstances.
South Londoner Regan Kelly, 28, died after arriving for a month-long holiday in Thailand on December 30.
Security footage shows Mr Kelly running, with an unknown man following him around 20 seconds later. He was found by a watersports instructor on the beach on 10am the next day.She and her father have flown to Thailand in a bid to work out what happened to Mr Kelly.
She told MailOnline: "The detective said he has worked tirelessly but I just don't know if they want to make it out like it was a tragic accident."Don't get me wrong, it could have been an accident, but something is really not sitting right with me."