A tenant was discovered dead in his room while lying on an electric massage pillow in Thailand.

Sarawut Boonrert, 55, had rested his head on the gadget hoping it would relax him but never woke up from his slumber.

A worried neighbour decided to check on him but was stunned to find him lifeless in his room at the single-storey rental house in Chonburi province on November 21 evening.

The red LED lights on the head massage device were still flashing under his head, showing there were no electrical faults with the device.

Police Captain Boonsita Hasin of the Mueang Chonburi Police Station said officers responded to the scene after receiving a report at 8 pm.

He said hey found Sarawut shirtless while lying on a mattress on the floor. The massage pillow under his head was still plugged in and had been whirring when they arrived.

The policeman said: 'There were no signs of a struggle and there was no disturbance in the room. The neighbours said they did not hear anything strange.

'At the moment, we do not know what caused the death. We have never seen any cases or reports of massage pillows being dangerous.'

Sarawut's neighbour Wachalee Thatai, 45, said she became concerned when Sarawut failed to meet her for their daily chats.

She said: 'I peered through the window of his room and saw him lying on the massager. I thought he must have been tired from work and was sleeping soundly. But when evening came and he still hadn't come out, I grew worried. I called out to him but he wouldn't move.

'I asked the landlord to bring a spare key, and we opened the room only to find that he was already dead. I'm still in shock. I have no idea how he died.'

Police Captain Boonsita added: 'The dead man's body will undergo a post-mortem examination. We are trying to figure out what exactly caused his death.'