23-year-old Aussie found dead in Thailand hotel room

A 23-year-old Australian man has been found dead in a Thai hotel room, still holding his mobile phone and with no clear cause of death.

A young Australian man has been found dead in a Thai hotel room.

According to local outlet Phuket News, police found the 23-year-old man in his hotel bed in Tambon Thepkrasatths, wearing a black T-shirt and still holding his mobile phone, which police say had been on a call for 12 hours.

Phuket News reported there were no signs of a disturbance, no evidence of a break-in, and no visible injuries indicating foul play, although police did observe that his elbow and wrist had been bandaged.

Friends told authorities these injuries were the result of a recent motorbike accident.

Thai police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old Australian man in his Thalang hotel room. Picture: The Phuket News

Police Lieutenant-colonel Thanom Thongpaen said the man was “lying there with a mobile phone resting on his chest”.

“He was still on call with someone. The line hadn’t been disconnected and he had died like that. There were no signs of struggle or anything suspicious,” he told Reuters.

“It appeared he had been on the call for about 12 hours. The phone screen had gone dark, but we could still see the call duration and confirm he was on a call.”

“We don’t know who he was talking to. I tried speaking into the phone, but there was no response. The line remained active, but there was no voice on the other end. The phone was locked, so we couldn’t examine it further.”

Police confirmed there were no drugs or alcohol in the room outside of a handful of pills which can be bought over-the-counter, and had been given to the man by a hotel staffer.

Mr Thongpaen said there was yet to be a “clear cause of death”.

Police received a call about 10am from a nurse at Thalang Hospital, reporting the death of the 23-year-old.

Officers later identified the man and confirmed he had checked into the hotel on Sunday July 20 and was scheduled to check out on July 24.

Police said the Australian Consulate in Phuket had been notified and a forensic doctor attended to examine the scene.

The man’s body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine his cause of death.

Police said they were continuing their investigation. The Phuket News is withholding the man’s name pending confirmation that his next of kin have been notified.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were providing “consular assistance” to the man’s family.