British Tourist Found Dead in Patong Hotel Room
A 41-year-old British tourist was found dead in his Patong hotel room on Monday after staff discovered him unresponsive during checkout; police await autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
PHUKET — A 41-year-old British tourist was found dead in his hotel room in Phuket's Patong area on Monday, with police awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
Police at Patong Police Station were notified at about 11:20 on 3 August that a foreign man had been found dead inside Room 1414 of a hotel in Patong, Kathu district. Officers, forensic specialists and other relevant officials went to the scene to investigate.
The body was identified as Zakir Mahood, 41, a British national who had been staying alone at the hotel since July 24. He had been scheduled to check out on Monday.
According to the hotel's head housekeeper, the room was last cleaned on 27 July. After that, the guest had placed a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.
At around 11:00 on the scheduled check-out date, a housekeeper knocked on the door but received no response. After entering the room, staff found Mahood dead inside and alerted police.
Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry, a struggle or the room being ransacked.
A preliminary examination conducted by police and a forensic doctor indicated that Mahood had died approximately 12 to 24 hours before his body was discovered. However, the exact cause of death has not yet been determined and will depend on the results of a full autopsy.
The body was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further examination. Authorities are coordinating with the British Embassy to notify the man's relatives and arrange the repatriation of his body for funeral rites.
