An Australian man has died while swimming off a beach in Thailand on Saturday, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials say.
Thai police said two foreign tourists, from China and Australia, died in separate swimming accidents at the southern Thai resort island of Koh Samui.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade can confirm that it has received official notification from Thai authorities of the death of an Australian man in Koh Samui,” a spokesperson said.
Dfat said it would not be releasing any further information about the man out of respect for his family.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Apichart Jansamret said the two died on Saturday while swimming off Chaweng beach during high tide. Two other people were injured.
He said there were “no swimming” signs and red flags in place to warn tourists about the dangers of swimming there. Apichart said that the sea at the beach looked misleadingly calm as a pond, but that it was easy to fall into deep water.
“The tourists must have thought they could manage it and that it’s similar to their country, but that’s the problem,” he said.
Samui is a popular destination for foreign tourists in Thailand, which last year hosted a record 29 million visitors.
News Corp Australia has reported that another Australian, a 55-year-old woman, died on New Year’s Day after becoming ill while swimming at Nusa Lembongan, an island south-east of Bali.
It said she was declared dead when she arrived at a community health centre after complaining about feeling ill after 45 minutes of snorkelling.
Associated Press contributed to this report
