A British tourist separated from his family during their holiday in Phuket, Thailand, and was later discovered in a drainage channel near a motorcycle rental shop.
Fraser Wright, 37, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was last seen around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, after leaving to spend time drinking alone.
Local residents noticed Wright’s body around 9:30 a.m. the following morning in a shallow waterway designed to direct storm runoff to the sea. Emergency services responded to the scene, where Wright was pronounced dead.
Police Captain Phongsathorn Phothong of the Patong district police station said surveillance footage revealed Wright had entered the drainage area independently around 4 a.m. “We have checked the security camera and found no one assaulted him,” Phothong said. “He walked into the drainage ditch by himself and did not tell his family.”
The drainage channel, protected by a 3.3-foot-high metal barrier, was located on a footpath. Security camera recordings showed Wright examining the drain before climbing over the protective railing.
Authorities estimate Wright had been dead for approximately five to six hours before discovery. His body was transported to Vachira Phuket Hospital for examination. The autopsy revealed suffocation as the cause of death, with no additional injuries noted.
Wright had been staying at the Seaview Hotel with family members when the incident occurred. A relative, identified as Katie, 17, reviewed the security footage and acknowledged the circumstances surrounding Wright’s death.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office stated, “We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Thailand welcomed over 28 million international visitors in the previous year, with tourists contributing 1.2 trillion baht ($33.71 billion) to the economy.