Murder Probe as Bodies of Two Britons Found Naked in Thai Resort

The naked bodies of two British tourists were found beaten to death on a Thai beach Monday, police said, sparking a murder hunt with the suspect believed to still be on the small resort island of Koh Tao.

The unidentified man and woman, both aged 24, were found early Monday with head wounds near a beach-side bungalow on the island, a diving hot-spot near Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand.

A bloodied hoe was discovered 35 meters (yards) from the murder scene, local police official Jakkrapan Kaewkhao told AFP.

"They were murdered and found naked on the beach. Their bodies were found 30 meters from (the) bungalow," he said, adding the pair arrived in Thailand on August 25.

The bodies were found around 6:30 am (2330 GMT Sunday) and police have spent the day interviewing witnesses but have yet to identify a suspect or motive, he added.

Provincial police chief Kiattipong Khawsamang said "most of the wounds were to their heads" adding the suspect -- or suspects -- were "probably still on the island".

Checkpoints have been set-up on the island's two piers as local police called in reinforcements from neighboring Koh Phangan, while high seas prevented ferries and boats from leaving.

Distraught friends of the victims -- who had seen the pair partying at a local bar just hours before the gruesome discovery of their bodies -- gathered at the local police station, a third officer said.

"This is a very cruel crime," Prachum Ruangthong, superintendent of Koh Phangan police station, told AFP, adding the bodies would be sent for forensic examination in Bangkok on Tuesday.

In a statement the British Embassy in Bangkok said officials were "urgently seeking information from local authorities".

"Consular staff stand ready to provide assistance to friends and family at this tragic time," it added.

Koh Tao, home to stunning white sand beaches and azure waters, is popular with divers but is smaller and more laid-back than neighboring Koh Phangan -- which draws hordes of backpackers to its hedonistic "full moon" party.

A shocked employee at the budget seaside resort where they were staying told AFP the bodies were found behind large rocks on the beach.

"It was the first time this has happened on the island, I have never seen anything like this," the staff member added, requesting anonymity.

The murders are likely to heap more misery on Thailand's lucrative tourism industry which has been battered in recent months after a prolonged political crisis ended in a coup.

The army swiftly blanketed the country with a curfew and strict martial law, frightening off visitors.

Although the curfew was soon lifted from key tourist hotspots, visitor numbers have yet to rebound and martial law remains in place.

Military leaders have vowed to restore the nation's reputation as the "Land of Smiles" with a clean-up targeting tourist resorts after a series of complaints about scams, assaults and even police extortion.

Britain says Thailand is the country where its citizens are second most likely to require consular assistance if they visit, behind the Philippines.

There were 389 deaths of British nationals in Thailand in the year to March 2013 -- about one for every 2,400 British visitors or residents -- although that figure includes natural causes.

But it is rare for tourists to be murdered in Thailand, although visitors frequently perish in accidents.

In July last year a 51-year-old American tourist was stabbed to death after an apparent row in a bar in Krabi, another popular tourist haven.

His death came just weeks after another American was slashed to death by a taxi driver in Bangkok after an apparent argument over the fare.