A British man, aged 37, tragically drowned while swimming with his partner at a crowded beach. The incident occurred at Freedom Beach in Phuket, Thailand, where Jason Mark Lambert from Ipswich was swept away by a strong wave in a rip current while paddling in the sea on a Saturday morning.

Despite efforts from fellow beachgoers who rushed to his aid, Lambert could not be revived. Two other swimmers were also caught in the current but were successfully rescued. Witness Chariya Thaweerat Howells, 31, described how people reacted to the emergency, with a Thai man using a kayak to rescue the two struggling swimmers before realizing Lambert was in distress.

According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanan Mekchai of Patong Police Station, the incident occurred around 11:30 am and was reported an hour later. Lambert had gone to the beach with his wife around 10 am when he got caught in the strong waves and disappeared underwater. Despite CPR attempts by beachgoers before emergency services arrived, he could not be revived.

The Mirror has reached out to the Foreign Office for a statement on the matter.