PATHOLOGISTS in Bangkok have removed distinctive rings and jewellery from the badly charred bodies of two men and two women, saying that positive identification should be possible before Tuesday. The bodies are thought to be two men of European extraction and two Thai women.


PHUKET: A British man feared killed in Phuket's Tiger Disco inferno was on his mobile telephone to a friend in the UK when flames consumed the nightclub, it was revealed today.

The man was named this afternoon as Michael Pio Tzouvanni, 24, by his older brother Joseph Tzouvanni, who has come to Phuket hoping that Michael is still alive and pleading for help in finding him.

''Michael phoned a friend of ours on the night of the fire about 4am Thailand time, which was after the club should have closed,'' he told a media conference organised by Phuket's Tourist Police.

''He phoned and he was very calm. There was no noise in the background. Michael said there was a fire.

''He is a calm, loving person . . . maybe he knew . . . we've had no contact with him since.

''Maybe he escaped. He's missing and we need to check hospitals, prisons . . . we need to find Michael. If anyone can help, please, please contact the British Embassy.''

Michael, from a family of five brothers and one sister based in London, ''loves Thailand'' and keeps returning to Patong and especially Soi Bangla, his brother said. He was staying in Soi Sansabai, the extension of Soi Bangla.

Investigators are now trying to determine the identities of four bodies found in the aftermath of the blaze in the Tiger Disco, one of many clubs in Patong, the popular west coast nightlife hub of Phuket.
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Phuketwan understands that the bodies of all four victims were found on a dance balcony, above the large dance floor of the upstairs nightclub. The remains of a mobile telephone were found near one of the bodies.

It is believed the four were trapped by flames, and unable to descend to the main dance floor.

Joseph Tzouvanni said today that he and others with relatives unaccounted for have given DNA samples to investigators, and that he had also passed on Michael's toothbrush and razor so that samples of Michael's DNA could be compared.

''I decided to come [to Phuket] on my own,'' said Mr Tzouvani, 26. ''It's a horrible ordeal.''

Brother Michael had come to Phuket this visit for 10 days, and was enjoying himself so much he extended his stay by four days. He was due to fly out at 4pm today.

Reports vary on who the dead might be, and police at present have more people reported missing than they have bodies.

One of the bodies is believed to be a French person who was travelling with Benjamin Tallanotte, 30, the only survivor still in hospital. Mr Tallanotte suffered second degree burns to 40 percent of his torso, arms and head.

Meanwhile, the bodies have been taken by road to Bangkok where autopsies are to be conducted.

A preliminary report on the quality of the disco building's construction and its safety provisions is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.

Phuket's other 190 venues will also be checked as fast as possible, a senior Government spokesperson said yesterday after visiting the charred disco.