SURAT THANI: The body of a 33-year-old Russian man who went missing after being swept away by strong waves on Koh Samui on Friday night was found floating at a beach on the popular tourist island on Saturday.
The Russian tourist, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was found at Chawaeng Noi in tambon Bo Phut, said Pol Lt Supakit Chanmuang, deputy investigation chief at the Bo Phut police station, who was alerted at about 1.45pm on Saturday.
The body was sent to Koh Samui hospital for a post-mortem examination, and authorities were preparing to notify the Russian embassy about the death.
According to a police investigation, the 33-year-old man and his two compatriots — Boris Demchenko, 22, and Mariia Dikanskaia, 22 — were staying at the same hotel in tambon Bo Phut. They went to swim at the beach in front of a nearby hotel around midnight on Friday.
While swimming, the tourist swam far from shore and was swept away by strong waves. His friends alerted police to get help. Rescuers were dispatched to search for the missing Russian man until morning, but the search failed to find him.
His body washed ashore on Saturday afternoon, said police.