The bodies of two British tourists have been found naked with gruesome head wounds on a beach at a popular holiday island in southern Thailand.
The couple - understood to be a 23-year-old woman from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and a 24-year-old man from Jersey - were found between 4am and 5am today on the isle of Koh Tao, near the famous Full Moon party destination of Ko Pha Ngan.
They are believed to have attended an all-night beach party with up to 50 other people - mostly tourists - before their killers pounced, violently attacking them with a garden hoe.
The young woman is thought to have been raped before she was killed.
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Horrific: The couple - understood to be a 23-year-old woman from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and a 24-year-old man from Jersey - were found between 4am and 5am today on the isle of Koh Tao, near the famous Full Moon party destination of Ko Pha Ngan
Searching for clues: Thai television showed pictures of police scouring the scene for clues as they desperately tried to determine what happened to the young British couple
Slaughtered: The young woman - who was found wearing only a white bikini top - is thought to have been raped before she was bludgeoned to death with a hoe
Violent: Despite earlier reports that the man, 24, had been beaten to death with a rock, police said they believed he was in fact killed with the same garden tool
'The man was chopped in the back and on the side of his head, while the woman was chopped in her face,' police chief Prachum Ruangthong said. 'It's very gruesome.'
He said the victims' clothes and a bloodstained hoe were found near the bodies.
A team of police were checking CCTV footage at nearby restaurants, hotels and shops for clues to what had happened - and who was responsible.
Police have blocked off the only pier on the island - which is accessible from the mainland only by boat - to prevent anyone from leaving but it is feared the killers might have already got away.
Paradise isle: Koh Tao is an island in Surat Thani province known for its diving sites and serene beaches. Police have closed the sole pier on the island - which is only accessible by boat - in the hope that the killers are still there
Murdered: One theory is that the killers may have seen the couple on a beach together after the party, and then pounced, bludgeoning the man with a hoe before attacking his companion.
Residents told police there had been a beach party for about 50 people, mostly foreigners, last night that went into the early morning.
One theory is that the killers may have seen the couple on a beach together after the party, and then pounced, bludgeoning the man with a hoe before attacking and killing his companion.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are aware of the death of two British nationals on 15 September on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. The Embassy are urgently seeking information from the local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance as needed.'
He said officials are working to contact relatives of both victims to inform them of the tragic news.
The murders are likely to have a dramatic impact on tourism to Pha Ngan and nearby Samui.
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