Two British tourists have been killed in an attack on a beach in southern Thailand, local police have said.

Police believe the man and woman were attacked on Sunday night, on the island of Koh Tao.

The victims, whose bodies were found with serious injuries early on Monday, were a 23-year-old woman from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and a 24-year-old man from Jersey.

The UK Foreign Office said it was urgently investigating the reports.

Jersey Police said the man’s family had been informed and police were co-operating with the Thai and British authorities who were leading the investigation.

Boats Blocked

The bodies were found close to the beach-side bungalows where the pair had been staying.

Local police said both had suffered serious injuries and a garden hoe, believed to have been used in the attack, was found nearby.

Police said they have yet to identify a motive or suspect in the killing of the tourists, who had arrived in Thailand last month.

Boats were earlier blocked from leaving the island, but the BBC’s Jonathan Head said this did not last long and vessels were now taking people to and from the island.

Police have been reviewing closed circuit TV footage from nearby restaurants, hotels and shops.

There was a beach party on Sunday night, about 100 metres from where the bodies were found, according to local media.

The Foreign Office said: “The embassy are urgently seeking information from the local authorities and consular staff stand ready to provide assistance to friends and family at this tragic time.”

Koh Tao is popular with divers, but draws fewer travellers than other nearby resorts, said BBC south-east Asia correspondent Jonathan Head.

The authorities are likely to move quickly to investigate the deaths to maintain confidence in a tourist industry which accounts for around a tenth of Thailand’s GDP, and which has been hit hard by recent political turmoil, said our correspondent.

Some 11 British nationals have been murdered in the country since 2009, according to the Foreign Office.

Official FCO advice warns that western tourists have been victims of “vicious, unprovoked attacks by gangs” on the nearby island of Koh Phangan.