Chinese tourist drowns at Patong Beach

PHUKET: A 19-year-old Chinese tourist drowned last night at Patong Beach, on Phuket’s west coast, after going for a night swim with a female friend.

Sakhon Chaithong, chief lifeguard at Patong Beach, told the Phuket Gazette that two Chinese tourists were pulled from the surf near Laem Petch, at the north end of Patong, at about 7:30pm.

Foreign tourists spotted the two Chinese in distress and rushed out to pull them back to shore, he said.

“It seems they went for a night swim,” Mr Sakhon said.

“The woman was saved, but it was too late for the man,” he added.

Chinese national, Tianqi Li, 19, was pronounced dead on arrival at Patong Hospital.

Mr Tianqi’s female friend was also rushed to hospital.

The Gazette has been told that she suffered no serious injuries and is likely to have been discharged from hospital already.

Mr Tianqi’s body remains at Patong Hospital pending further action by the authorities and instructions from the Chinese embassy in Bangkok.

His death comes three weeks after American student Joshua Shane, 21, drowned at nearly the same location where Mr Tianqi drowned last night.

— Atchaa Khamlo