A British tourist has died on his honeymoon after ignoring red warning flags to go swimming in the rough sea on a Thai beach.

Ali Mohammed Mian, 34, had been on the dream trip for just two days since arriving on the island of Phuket, southern Thailand, on July 12.

He was staying at the five star Katathani Phuket Beach Resort and went for a paddle in the choppy waters - especially dangerous during the current monsoon rainy season - this afternoon.

Ali, from London, and a second swimmer, Thai man Surasit Phonglaohaphan, 55, were both dragged out away from the shore on the Kata Noi Beach.

Lifeguards pulled both men back onto the sand and performed CPR before paramedics rushed them in an ambulance to the Chalong Hospital.

Tragically, both Ali and Surasit, who are not believed to have been holidaying together, were pronounced dead shortly after they arrived at hospital.

Lieutenant Colonel Kittipong Nupheng from the Karon district police station said officers had informed the British Embassy who are now in contact with Ali's family following the drowning in the Andaman Sea.

The policeman said: 'Our station received notification at 5pm from rescue volunteers that lifeguards had rescued two drowning tourists from the sea.

'Both of them were unconscious so CPR was performed. One of them had signs of a pulse. Both were taken to the Chalong Hospital but later died.

'We were informed that there was a red warning flag on the beach that the tourists had ignored to go swimming in the sea.

'They disobeyed the red flag and were swept away by the waves.'

Elsewhere in Phuket at the Kata Beach, two other tourists had to be rescued after they were dragged away by the strong currents. The couple, both in the mid-30s, survived and were taken to hospital.

Earlier this week, two backpackers drowned after ignoring red warning flags to swim in the sea on the island of Koh Chang island in Trat province.

Anna Carreras, 21, from Spain, and Rahul Ramkurrun, 22, from France, had allegedly stayed up all night partying with other young holidaymakers before going to the beach and swimming shortly before sunrise. Both drowned in the treacherous conditions.

Thailand is currently in the middle of its annual rainy season, which brings regular tropical monsoon downpours and strong winds. The currents in the Andaman Sea are also much stronger.