British Man Dies of Suspected Drug Overdose in Goa

There was little left to show of a life cut short in a £2-a-night hotel room just a stone's throw from paradise. There were some old T-shirts, a handful of undeveloped films and a battered journal filled with jottings and sketches. The rest of Michael Harvey's belongings had been taken away by police looking for clues.

Mr Harvey, 34, from Manchester, was found dead in his room at Laura's Guesthouse in the Goan resort of Ashwem Beach on Saturday morning, having checked in the night before, sweating heavily and "appearing drunk or something", according to the owner. A postmortem examination concluded Mr Harvey died from a pulmonary and cerebral oedema and police are now investigating whether a drug overdose was the cause.

Mr Harvey was the second British citizen to die in the past fortnight in Goa, a tropical playground that has long been favoured by European tourists for its beguiling landscape and easy-going lifestyle. But many believe Goa also has a darker, more dangerous edge, both as a result of tourists failing to take basic safety measures and a seedy drugs culture that permeates many of its resorts. In 2007, 40 Britons died here from natural and unnatural causes, while there have been 10 deaths so far this year, according to the British consulate in Mumbai.