Police Expand Search for Missing Austrian on Phi Phi Island

Police on the Thailand’s resort island of Phi Phi in Krabi province are searching for an Austrian hotel manager who has been missing since last week. Austrian National Mr Florian Hallermann, 56, general manager of the Zeavola Resort, was last spotted by CCTV cameras on Saturday afternoon.

Thai police on Phi Phi island launched search operations on Monday but have yet to find any trace of the Austrian hotel manager.

On Wednesday, police officers and local villagers split into different teams to cover the jungle, hills and caves around Phi Phi island’s Laem Tong Beach, where the luxury Zeavola Resort is located. Local media reported that one of the search teams found the body of a Thai man in mangrove forest. It is not yet known whether the death is linked with Mr Hallerman’s disappearance.

Koh Phi Phi Hospital is reportedly conducting a postmortem examination on the man body to determine how and when he died.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post reports, the communicable disease control committee of on Phi Phi Island have extended the closure of theisland for another seven days from, Sept 18-24.

Only tourists under the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 programmes are allowed to visit the island during the closure.

The resort island was first closed from Sept 11-18 for disinfection after workers bulding the island’s new wastewater treatment plant were found infected with Covid-19. The infections spread to grocery shops and Koh Phi Phi police.

On Wednesday, 10 more infected people were evacuated to the province’s third field hospital at the National Sports University, Krabi campus, in Muang district for treatment.

The total number of infections on the island stood at 79 on Wednesday. Another 321 people had been tested but the results were not known.