Mystery as Brit, 69, is discovered lifeless on his yacht off Thai island of Phuket

A British yacht owner has been found dead on his boat on the Thai island of Phuket. 

The 69-year-old had not been seen in several days before he was found lifeless on his ship anchored off Khao Khad Beach on January 11.

The gruesome discovery was made when the yacht owner’s friend, whose vessel was anchored nearby, became concerned over his prolonged absence.

He checked the ‘unusually quiet’ yacht before finding his friend’s body at around 12.30pm local time. He immediately alerted staff at a nearby hotel.

Police were called to the scene, where they boarded the vessel moored opposite the Veranda Resort Phuket hotel, and found the man lying in a bedroom at the bow. 

They said that upon arrival, the body was ‘significantly decomposed’. He is believed to have been dead for up to two days before being discovered.

Investigators said there were no signs of a struggle or ransacking at the scene.

Police Lieutenant Watcharakorn Suwan of Wichit Police Station said: ‘Regarding the reported news, we were informed by a hotel employee.

A British yacht owner was found dead in his boat on the Thai island of Phuket on January 11

‘We are currently investigating, gathering evidence, and awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. We have not ruled out the possibility of an unnatural death.

‘Staff revealed the man was not a guest at the hotel’.

Locals said the man had been living on his yacht for around a decade, travelling back and forth between Malaysia and Phuket.

Police said they have collected evidence from the scene and sent his body to the Vachira Phuket Hospital for a post-mortem exam.

The Daily Mail has approached the Foreign Office for comment.

It comes as tributes were paid to a ‘fearless’ British tourist whose body was found last week in south-east Asia after he vanished on Christmas Day.

Mark Counsell, 31, from Pontypool in south Wales, set off on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ around Thailand and Malaysia over the festive period.

His last contact with family was a video call to wish them a happy Christmas on December 25.

Gwent Police initiated a missing persons appeal in the New Year after Mark’s communication with loved ones abruptly stopped.

Malaysian police found a body on Wednesday, and it has been confirmed as Mark, known as ‘Melon’ to his friends.

The death is not being treated as suspicious.