Bangkok, May 12 (IANS): One Indian tourist died and three others were hospitalised after four members of a group of five Indian men fell unconscious one by one at a cafe in the Kamala Beach area of Kathu district, Phuket, Thailand, on May 9, the Indian Embassy in Thailand confirmed on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as 26-year-old Kushagra Agarwal, while the other three hospitalised tourists – Rahul Agrawal, another man also named Rahul Agrawal, and Aman Agarwal – were reported to be in stable condition, with the fifth member of the group, Aryan Verma, unaffected. Two of the men were initially found to be in a coma and transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital for further treatment, while the others were taken to Patong Hospital and Thalang Hospital respectively. The Indian Embassy stated it was closely coordinating with Thai authorities, with embassy officials in direct contact with the family of the deceased to extend all possible support, while Thai police have launched a formal investigation into the incident.
Security staff at the cafe told investigators that the five Indian men had arrived together around 11pm on Friday, and that four of them fell unconscious for no obvious reason, prompting cafe staff to immediately call emergency services. Local officials confirmed that emergency responders rushed to the scene and the men were transported to hospitals for urgent treatment. The Indian Embassy, in a post on X, expressed its deepest condolences for the death of the young Indian tourist and said it remained in contact with relevant Thai authorities who are actively looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The exact cause of the tourists losing consciousness has not yet been officially established, and investigations are ongoing.