SURAT THANI - A British woman died in a fire aboard a diving boat off Koh Tao on Sunday, believed caught inside the toilet when the blaze started.
Surat Thani police chief Pol Maj Gen Sermphan Sirikhong said Alexandra Clarke, 26, a British tourist, was killed in a fire that began on the dive boat David Johne about 10am.
It was taking 22 people - tourists, scuba instructors and boat crew - from Koh Tao to the Southwest Pinnacle, a popular dive site about nine kilometres off the resort island.
Pol Maj Gen Sermphan said when the passengers were rescued by being transferred to other boats, the British tourist was unaccounted for. Her body was later found on the fire-damaged boat. She had been seen going to the toilet shortly before the blaze began, he said.
The fire started when a crew member identified only as Tae, 48, was filling air tanks for divers' use, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Sermphan said the boat was towed back to the island for forensic examination to determine the cause of the fire and the woman's death.