A British tourist who vanished on a night out in Thailand has been mysteriously found on a life support system and having emergency brain surgery in hospital.

Ashton Jones, 29, disappeared from his friends as they visited Bangkok, and was mysteriously found later in a hospital having emergency brain surgery.

His family said the Welshman flew to Thailand's capital city 'on a whim' with a friend, where they met another friend and spent nearly a week 'making unforgettable memories.'

But they said they were devastated to learn that he was found fighting for his life, and their anxiety only compounded after they saw a photo of tubes coming out of him as he lay in a hospital bed in Chonburi Hospital, a town about 55 miles southeast of Bangkok.

Friends revealed they began an hours-long search for him after he disappeared from the nightclub they were partying in.