British tourist killed on Thai island
A British tourist has been shot dead in a bar on a Thai island popular with backpackers.
It is believed the 22-year-old was caught by a stray bullet during a fight between two groups at the bar on Koh Phangan.
According to reports in the Bangkok Post, he was shot in the upper body in the early hours and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The UK Foreign Office later named the victim as Stephen Ashton from Purley, South London.
The resort island, next to Koh Samui, draws thousands of backpackers each year, many from the UK.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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