A schoolboy from the Isle of Man has died in a Thai swimming pool after being sucked into its pumping system.

Nathan Clark, 14, was last seen lifting an underwater grille at the bottom of the pool at the Pattaya Water Park apparently looking for his goggles.

Nathan's body was found about 30 minutes later in the pool's pump room after engineers opened a water gate.

A camera team was at the park and pictures of the search and the grim discovery have been posted on local news websites.

The boy's father, Jim Clark, claimed lifeguards initially failed to respond to the incident after being alerted, thinking instead the family was playing a joke.

He dived into the outdoor whirlpool to save him after Nathan's 15-year-old brother Rhys raised the alarm.

He told reporters: "The guards did nothing, not for 30 minutes. They would not believe what had happened.

"When I finally forced them to do something they went to the pump room, opened a hatch and my son's body came out."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "Our consular people in Thailand are giving assistance at this tragic time for the family."

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