Death plunge victim probably Korean: Phuket Police

PHUKET: Police suspect that a woman who apparently fell to her death from a condo block in Wichit earlier today was Korean.

The body of the woman crashed through the corrugated zinc roof of a Burmese construction worker’s camp at the base of the seven-story Pornsawan Condotel, located on Chao Fa East Road in Wichit.

The death was reported to Phuket City Police Duty Officer Yongyuth Krongmalai at 10:30am.

The deceased was light-skinned, wearing a pink blouse with a floral pattern and tight, blue denim shorts.

Her height was estimated at about 155cm to 160cm.

An initial inspection of the body led police to suspect she died of a broken neck.

The deceased also suffered severe facial trauma that caused many of her teeth to be knocked out.

The body was found with a diamond ring on her right-hand ring finger, a gold chain around her neck and a silver bracelet on her right wrist.

The corpse also bore a large tattoo of a sea dragon on the right shoulder.

Initial investigation found little else at the scene to help identify her; staff and residents questioned by police at the condo said they had never seen her before.

Management said the condo was popular with Koreans who took over one another’s contracts, leaving little way of knowing the identities of all residents staying there.

Lt Col Yongyuth turned over the remains of the deceased to Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers.

It was too early to know from which floor or room the woman fell, he said.

It is also unknown if she jumped, was pushed or if she was killed beforehand and thrown from the building in an attempt to hide evidence, he added.

It is hoped that a medical examination of the body will determine the exact cause of death, he said.

Lt Col Yongyuth raised the possibility that the woman could be among the many young Chinese and Korean women smuggled onto the island by human traffickers to work in the sex industry.