Briton falls to death in Phuket storm drain

PHUKET – A British man on holiday with his family was found dead in an open storm drain in Kathu district of this tourist island on Wednesday.
Rescue workers retrieved the body of Fraser Wright, 36, from the fenced-off hole on Phra Metta Road opposite Patong Hospital in tambon Patong at 9.15am on Wednesday.
A doctor who conducted an autopsy concluded that the man had probably died of suffocation five to six hours earlier. There was no trace of any physical assault.
CCTV video showed the man walking towards the storm drain where maintenance was being done. He is seen leaning on the one-metre-high metal fence surrounding the drain, which carries rainwater into the sea. He is then seen climbing over the barrier, losing his balance and falling in.
A relative said that Wright, a resident of Swindon, had arrived with two family members on Sunday and that they were staying in a local hotel.
The man reportedly left the family’s hotel room at about 10pm on Tuesday. He did not return and his family were unable to contact him.