SURAT THANI: The search resumed on Wednesday for a 35-year-old German tourist who jumped into the sea near Koh Phangan on Tuesday night, but he has not been found.
The man, identified as Florian Storz, jumped from the Racha 8 ferry around 7.30pm on Tuesday, about 15 minutes after the boat left a pier at Koh Phangan. Passengers who witnessed the incident told police that the tourist, wearing a black outfit, put his rucksack on the deck and jumped into waves that were about two metres high. No one knew why he had jumped.
Police, marine police, marine officials and rescue workers were divided into teams on Wednesday. Some searched islets around the popular tourist island as well as coastal areas, while others in boats searched the waters between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. However, there has been no trace of the missing man.
According to immigration records, the German man arrived in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi airport on Dec 26. His visa was due to expire on Feb 2.
