WEB DESK
A Swiss woman has been found dead near a waterfall in Thailand on the resort island of Phuket. Local officials have identified the victim as 57-year-old Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, and launched an investigation.
Police found her face down in the water covered by a black sheet, with her phone. As yet it is unclear what happened to the Swiss national. Results of an autopsy are expected later on Friday.
A spokesman for Thailand’s foreign minister Don Pramudwinai said on Twitter he had sent his condolences to the Swiss ambassador for the “murder of a Swiss woman in Phuket” as local officials have suggested she was murdered.
And government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha had ordered police to expedite the investigation to identify and arrest the culprit. He also ordered officials to increase security in Phuket.
Switzerland’s foreign ministry meanwhile released a statement on Thursday saying Thai authorities had contacted them about the death of an Swiss citizen but gave no more details, citing privacy concerns.
Reports suggest she may have been a Swiss diplomat, although officials have not yet commented on her job.