Police are probing the mystery death of a woman found floating off a beach in Phuket, Thailand on Wednesday.

The naked dead woman, believed to be a tourist, was found drifting near Freedom Beach on May 1 afternoon.

She was described as having a dark skin tone, curly hair, and a height of around six feet. She was wearing only a seashell necklace and seashell bracelet when she was found.

Police Lieutenant Pakpoom Rojanawipak of the Karon Police Station said officials were notified of the discovery at 2:45 pm.

He said: 'From looking at the body of the dead woman, she does not seem to be Thai. Therefor, we believe she is a tourist.

'We are checking the records of people who have gone missing to see if their description matchs the the corpse.'

They rode a rubber boat to retrieve the woman's body, which was taken to the Vachira Phuket Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Forensic doctor Athit Suravisankul said: 'No signs of assault were found on the corpse. Initially, it is believed the cause of death is drowning.'

Authorities said DNA samples from the body have been obtained. They said a more thorough post-mortem exam will be conducted.