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The drowned man has been named as Wael Zakhour, who was staying on Phuket with his nephew. His family have been notified.
Original Report
PHUKET: A tourist drowned on Phuket's Karon beach today and four other people had to be rescued from the surf in the same incident.
Red flags were flying all along the beach.
The dead man, a 45-year-old Syrian, was a guest at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, which usually has its own lifeguards on the beach.
Lifeguards stationed on the beach for Phuket Lifeguard Service patrols reported that all seven people got into difficulties at the same time.
''Two managed to swim back to the beach,'' a Lifeguard Services spokesperson said today.
''Three others were rescued by lifeguards. The other two were swept out to sea. A jet-ski pulled them both from the water.
''One of those rescued died on the way to Patong Hospital.''
Phuketwan has been supplied with the drowned man's name but will not publish it until we are certain relatives have been informed, even though family members may have been with him on the beach.
The man arrived on Phuket on August 3 and was scheduled to leave on August 11.
Phuket's undermanned lifeguards have said that they are unable to prevent people who are determined to swim on Phuket from entering the water, even when red flags are flying.
Water safety experts have called for greater community involvement in warning tourists of the dangers of swimming at Phuket's popular west coast beaches during the monsoon season.
Russian Dmitry Onishchenko, 32, drowned at Karon on July 22. A 60-year-old American surfer drowned at Kata beach, south of Karon, on July 7.
In an alarming spate of drownings at the end of June, five swimmers drowned at Phuket beaches in four days. They were a Phuket resident, two Russians, an Indian and a Belgian, all men.
In an eight-week period last year between mid-May and mid-July, eight people drowned on Phuket's west coast beaches.
Statistics relating to drownings on Phuket have not been updated since April, 2012. Tourists and residents no longer know whether safety precautions are gaining ground on the drowning toll or not.
But with the eighth drowning recorded this year on Phuket beaches between the end of June and August 5, it's plain authorities and resorts now must take greater action and probably close beaches properly.
Ironically, a five-day lifeguard training course involving the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, the Royal Thai Navy and the Phuket Lifeguard Service was due to begin today.
Shock tactics is the only way. I think the lifeguards should show a picture folder of the dead with their names, nationalities, age and the date they died to these stupid people who will not listen to common sence
Posted by Nick on August 5, 2013 18:24