THE NAKED BODIES of two British tourists have been found on a Thai beach , police said, sparking a murder probe on the popular resort island of Koh Tao.
The man and woman have been identified as David Miller, 24, from Jersey and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk.
The pair were found stripped with several wounds to their head and bodies close to a beachside bungalow on the island, a diving hot-spot near Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand.
The two are believed to have been at a beach party in Koh Tao yesterday and were staying nearby.
Sky News is reporting that the victims’ clothes and a hoe with blood stains were found nearby. Police believe they may have been attacked with the hoe leaving them with severe head wounds.
“They were murdered and found naked on the beach. Police were informed at 6:30 am (2330 GMT),” local police official Jakkrapan Kaewkhao told AFP.
“Their bodies were found 30 meters from the bungalow,” said Jakkrapan, adding the pair had arrived in Thailand on 25 August
Police are searching for witnesses and are yet to identify a suspect or motive, he added.
ITV News says that there have been reports that the man was from Ireland but police say both are British.
An employee at the budget seaside resort where they were staying told AFP the bodies were found behind a set of large rocks on the beach.
“It was the first time this has happened on the island, I have never seen anything like this,” the staff member added, requesting anonymity.
Koh Tao is popular with tourists but draws fewer travellers than the neighbouring Koh Phangnan, home to the hedonistic ‘full moon’ party.
Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry has been battered in recent months after a prolonged political crisis ended a coup which saw the army blanket the country with a curfew and strict martial law.
Although the curfew was swiftly lifted from key tourist hot-spots, visitor numbers are yet to rebound.
Thailand’s military leaders have vowed to clean up the kingdom’s tourist resorts after complaints of scams, assaults and even police extortion.
© – AFP 2014 with reporting from Rónán Duffy
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