The body of 28-year-old Russian tourist Alexey Agapono was found by locals at Nai Thon beach at 4.30pm on Wednesday. French tourist Jean-Pierre Charles Dulary remains in a coma after a series of disasters on Phuket's beaches.


A RUSSIAN tourist is missing, presumed dead, after a rescue operation to pluck him from rocks off a Phuket beach took hours instead of minutes yesterday.

By the time rescuers reached the rocks, three hours after they were called, the man had vanished.

The man's wife was reported to be distraught today after learning that, although the man had been spotted on the rocks, his rescue had failed and he was now presumed to be lost at sea.

That brought the number of people who have drowned, died or been lost at Phuket beaches to three in the space of four days - one seven-year-old Thai boy and two tourists from Russia.

A tourist from France, plucked from pounding Phuket surf, is narrowly clinging to life in a hospital in Phuket City.

The lifeguard catalogue of 64 rescues of swimmers along Phuket's popular west coast beaches in just one day yesterday highlights yet again the lack of proper warnings about dangerous conditions and currents during Phuket's April-November monsoon season.

Those 64 rescued yesterday included Chinese, Indians, Russians, Britons, French, Thais and Singapore-based expats.

But it was the disastrous failed rescue of Alexey Agaponov, 28, that brought into sharp focus all the flaws of Phuket's present warning and rescue system.

Phuket Marine Police Superintendent Panlob Pungpaga said today that the call for help from the lifeguards at Nai Thon beach, between Patong and the Phuket International Airport, came around 2pm.

A lifeguard spokesperson had told Phuketwan that the lifeguards had tried to get their dinghy to the rocks to rescue the man, but were in constant danger of capsize in the heavy surf.

Superintendent Panlob said that it took more than two hours to load a boat onto a trailer and proceed from the Marine Police depot in Phuket City to Nai Thon. By the time the rocks were reached, the man had vanished.

Superintendent Panlob said: ''This man's disappearance is not our fault. We have 30 members, five boats and one longtail. This is not enough to safeguard an island the size of Phuket.

''Everybody needs to make the point to tourists that the sea off Phuket can be unsafe at this time of year. There are always storms, big waves and dangerous currents. Phuket beaches can be dangerous at this time of year, even for the strongest swimmers.''

It is believed Mr Agaponov had been carried out by a current from the beach to the rocks. The lifeguard spokesperson said his wife also needed to be rescued.

The resort where they were staying, the four-star Naithonburi Beach Resort, had warned the couple that the beach was dangerous, the lifeguard spokesperson said.

The inability of Phuket's rescue system to deal with all eventualities was highlighted in March last year, when a dive boat sank off Patong, killing six tourists and the Thai cook.

Twenty-three survivors were left to float for hours within sight of Patong. An aerial survey would have spotted them within minutes. Instead, the survivors eventually managed to organise their own rescue.

While drownings in waters around Phuket have been reduced by half this year when compared to last year, there are still needless deaths occurring because of lack of thorough warnings, lack of properly trained or equipped rescue teams, or tourists ignoring warnings.

The lifeguard spokesperson provided Phuketwan with a list of Monday's rescues:



Nai Harn Beach
11.30am Russian tourist rescued after being pulled out by rip current
2 pm Frenchman pulled from surf, given CPR. Seemed to be ok

Kata Noi Beach
11am Expat of undetermined nationality pulled from the surf

Karon Beach
1. Russian, pulled out by a rip current, then rescued
2. Russian girl, about 30, pulled out, rescued
3. Three men rescued, in front of Thavorn Beach Resort
4. Close to Karon circle, Korean man, 26, pulled out by rip, rescued
5. Near landmark dragon sculpture, Russian man, 20, couldn't get back to the beach by himself. Lifeguard helps him back
6. In front of new Centara Grand Resort, Russian man, 26, pulled out by current. Given CPR then send to Patong Hospital, x-rayed, seemed ok

Bang Tao Beach

1. Lifeguard pod in front of Dusit Thani, Laguna Phuket
10am Russian man, pulled out by current
6 pm Young Russian boy, pulled out by current

Surin Beach

In front of the car park
11.50am Three expats from Singapore, pulled out by the current: named as Scott Foster, Kenneth Foster, Craig Foster
6 pm Two expats from China, helped back with a lifeguard float: named as Ms Jasmine Neale and Mr Ben Taylor

Patong Beach

1. Lifeguard pod in front of Ocean department store
12:30 pm Two Indian men rescued
12:45 pm One Russian woman helped from the sea
2pm French tourist rescued
3 pm British tourist rescued

2. Lifeguard pod in front of Soi Bangla
11.40am. Two Russian women helped from the water
1pm Four Indian men helped from the water
1pm Two Russian men helped from the water
1.15 pm One Russian woman helped from the water
1.20 pm A Frenchman helped out
2.20 pm Two Indian men helped from the water

3. In front of Loma Park (Jet ski people help a lot here)
11am Four Chinese men helped from the water
Noon Chinese woman helped out
Noon Five Thai people helped from the water
1pm One Russian man helped out
1.15pm Six expats, nationality unknown, helped out of surf
2.30pm Three Russian men assisted from the water
2.45pm Five Frenchmen helped. One is quite ill, requires CPR, sent to Patong Hospital and later to Vachira Hospital in Phuket City
3 pm Two Russian men need help

4 . Pod at northen end of Patong
Noon Indian man needs help
12:20pm Two Indian men require assistance
2.30pm Two young Thai boys helped from the water

Nai Thon Beach

Noon In front of Naithonburi Beach Resort, two Russians in trouble. Woman is rescued. Alexey Agaponov, 28, is missing