Appeal to bring body of Bristol man Sam Austin home from Thailand passes £10,000 mark

His friend Jonna Russell, 28, set up a Facebook group and crowdfunding page last weekend to try and raise the money.Sam’s friends and relatives have been left in the dark as to how he died.

Mr Russell said: “The Thai authorities do things very differently to the police in this country.

“For this reason, it has been very difficult to get any information about the circumstances of Sam’s death.”

One of their friends, Jacob Jones, who was already in Thailand, has been given power of attorney to deal with affairs and has already formally identified Sam’s body.

He was hoping to find out more information from the Thai authorities today.

Mr Russell said they had no idea at this stage how long it may take before Sam’s body could be returned to England.

There would have to be an autopsy and possibly an inquest, which might delay repatriation.

An inquest is also likely to be held in the UK, as unexpected deaths of Britons abroad are investigated by a coroner here.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are aware of the death of a British national on 13 November in Thailand. We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time.”

To pledge money to the fun click here

The Bristol Post