The body of a 9th year student, who went missing after swimming in the sea off Phuket’s Surin Beach on Saturday evening, was found washed ashore on Sunday night.
The victim, who was not identified, and four classmates went swimming in rough seas, despite a Red Flag being flown at the beach warning against swimming.
One of the students drowned, another went missing and was believed to have been washed further from the beach and the rest were rescued by life guards.
A search and rescue operation, involving local officials, life guards and naval officers, was launched for the missing student. A helicopter from the Third Fleet of the Royal Thai Navy was also involved.
On Sunday night, however, a search team patrolling Surin Beach found a body, believed to be that of the missing student, lying on the beach. The remains were taken to the district hospital for identification and an autopsy.
Local officials have repeated their warning to tourists and locals alike not to swim in the sea where Red Flags are flying.
Today, the Meteorological Department has forecast that most of Phuket, Krabi, Phang-nga and Ranong provinces will face heavy to very heavy rainfall, with wave heights of 2-3 metres and over 3 metres in stormy areas.
