Canadian sisters' bodies found at popular Thailand resort

A maid found two Canadian sisters dead inside their hotel room on a Thailand resort island made popular in Leonardo Di Caprio’s film ‘The Beach’.

Noemi Belanger, 25, and her sister Audrey, 20, were found on Friday at the Phi Phi Palm Residence Hotel on Phi Phi Island, said police Lt Col Jongrak Pimthong.

Police said the women did not appear to have been murdered. Jongrak said their room door was chained from the inside and their belongings were still there. He added: “The maid wanted to check if they wanted to stay at the hotel for another night but didn’t hear any response, so the staff used a spare key to access the room.

“Police determined they were dead for about 24 hours prior to that and also found a lot of vomit in the room.”

The vomit, along with traces of blood on the women’s face, could be signs of a toxic reaction, police said.

Jongrak recalled a similar incident on Phi Phi Island in May 2009 when a woman from the US and one from Norway died after suddenly falling ill at a guesthouse.

In that case, the victims suffered severe vomiting and stomach pains before being taken to hospital. Doctors determined the proximate cause of death as dehydration and shock, but it was not known what caused their sudden illness.

Two other people with the same symptoms survived.