Japanese tourist drowns at Karon Noi

PHUKET: A Japanese tourist drowned while swimming off Karon Noi beach, in front of Le Meridien hotel, yesterday afternoon. Pol Capt Chokchai Suttimek of Chalong Police Station, said the tourist, whose name he gave as Mr Yoshinori, 56, was swimming with a number of other hotel guests who were all swept out into the sea by heavy seas. Some managed to swim back to the beach and others were rescued by hotel staff. Mr Yoshinori, too, was pulled out of the water by hotel lifeguards, but they were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Pol Capt Chokchai told the Gazette that Mr Yoshinori was staying alone at Le Meridien. He arrived last Wednesday and was scheduled to check out of the hotel after his swim. His body was due to be picked up by Japanese embassy staff from the Phya Thai Hospital this afternoon. Mr Yoshinori is the sixth tourist to drown in Phuket’s waters this year. One tourist was Thai; the others were foreign.