Locals found a body washed ashore on Nai Thon Beach, Phuket, believed to be a 26-year-old police lieutenant who drowned in the sea two days earlier. Authorities are expediting the transfer of the body for forensic examination and coordinating with relatives to verify identity through fingerprint analysis.
On 15 May 2026, around 18:30, an unidentified man entered the water at Nai Thon Beach, Moo 4, Sakoo Subdistrict, Thalang District, Phuket. Strong waves and winds with waves over two meters swept him out to sea. Lifeguards at Nai Thon Beach attempted a rescue but were unable to save him due to the strong currents. The man disappeared beneath the water. His Toyota Camry, bronze color, registered in Chiang Rai, was left parked nearby. Authorities took the vehicle for inspection to identify the owner.
After the incident, authorities launched a search in the surrounding area but did not find the missing man’s body and temporarily halted the search around 19:00. On 16 May 2026, a search command center was established at Nai Thon Beach, Sakoo Subdistrict, Thalang District, Phuket. Due to continued rough weather and strong waves, water searches were impossible. Officials focused on searching the shore, checking rocky areas and the beachline, before ending the search around 16:00.
Early on 17 May, at about 06:30, Police Lieutenant Colonel Korpumphot Pongpaiboon, Deputy Investigating Officer of Sakoo Police Station, Phuket, was notified by locals that a male body had washed ashore near the Pho Talata Shrine in Moo 4, Sakoo Subdistrict. Upon arrival, together with Police Colonel Salan Santisasanakul, Chief of Sakoo Police Station, and forensic doctors from Vachira Phuket Hospital, they found the deceased was a middle-aged Thai man with dark reddish skin, wearing only black underwear. The body was bloated with abrasions on the skin.
Preliminary examination indicated the man had been dead for about two days. The abrasions were caused by the body being tumbled by waves and sand in the sea. The body was handed over to Kusoldharm Phuket Rescue for detailed autopsy at Vachira Phuket Hospital.
It is initially presumed that the deceased is Police Lieutenant Thanpatpop or Lieutenant Pond Awatnanukul, aged 26, Deputy Investigating Officer of Thaimuang Police Station, Phang Nga Province. Authorities will coordinate with relatives to verify identity through personal identification before handing over the body for religious funeral rites.