Police were called to the house, in a small street near the mosque in Baan Naka in Moo 4, Kamala, at about 7:30am, said Lt Watcharin Siriyaphat of the Kamala Police.
Kamala Police Chief Col Chaiyaphruk Phatiworakorn joined Lt Watcharin and other officers in investigating the scene, he added.
People in the house heard the man’s phone ring, and went out to see where the music was coming from. That’s when they found the man's body wedged in the tight space, Lt Watcharin explained.
The man, a 56-year-old British national*, was sandwiched in a tight space between a water pump and the house, as if he had fallen backwards from the street about two metres away.
The man was cramped into such a tight space that it would have been very difficult to free himself, and he was folded so tightly that it would have been very difficult to breathe.
In his right hand, the man was still holding a plastic bag containing an unopened instant meal pack from 7-Eleven. His phone on on the ground beside him, Lt Watcharin explained.
“He was dressed in a black T-shirt, brown shorts, a glasses, a watch on his left wrist and a wristband on his right wrist. There are some scratches on the body. The body was taken to Patong Hospital for further examination,” he added.
“Doctors found some bruises on his back and his head, and believe that he had died about 24 hours before his body was found,” he said.
Lt Watcharin told The Phuket News that he had spoken to the man’s friend, but did not name the man or give any clarification on whether the man was a tourist or expat.
He also said that he had yet to request information about the man from Immigration, but did say that he had confirmed the man’s identity with the British embassy.
The man was staying at an apartment a short distance uphill further along the street from where his body was found, Lt Watcharin said.
“From questioning people living around there, I was told that the man was often found drunk. I’m not sure, but he may have sat down [on the edge of a storm drain between the house and the street] and fell down,” he added.
Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub
* The Phuket News is withholding the man's name until it has been confirmed that his next of kin has been notified.