A man and a woman have been found dead with head wounds on a beach in Koh Tao.
The island of Koh Tao is a sleepy, low-key holiday destination in the gulf of Thailand. A favourite of divers and sun-seekers. Crime of any kind on the island is rare.
This morning at 6.30am, however, locals found a male and female lying dead behind some large rocks on the beach. The female was 23 years old and from Great Yarmouth; the man, aged 24, was from Norfolk.
According to Police-Colonel Prachum Ruangthong, the male was naked while the woman was partially clothed. Both had suffered serious head wounds that may have been caused by a blood-stained hoe, found a short distance away.
The police officer told Channel 4 News that officers had not found any witnesses and have yet to identify a suspect or motive.
Both Britons were staying at the same hotel, called Ocean View Bungalows, but police do not believe they travelled to the island together. The female was travelling in a party of four, while the male was accompanied by two other men.
It is thought that both groups had been eating, drinking and dancing on the island in the hours before their death. At 1am, the two separated themselves from the others and went for a walk. “On Koh Tao, that is completely normal,” said the police-colonel.
The island is well-known as diving hot spot, but it draws far fewer tourists than the neighbouring island of Koh Phangnan, which is known internationally for its hedonistic “full-moon” parties.
Police say they hope to move the bodies to Bangkok this evening where a pathologist will perform the autopsies.
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