A British teacher is thought to have been found dead following an attack in Burma, with reports that police are seeking another UK national in connection with the death.

Local police said the 47-year-old victim of the alleged attack was found dead inside a 25-year-old British colleague’s apartment after a night of drinking in downtown Rangoon.

AFP reported that the dead man was found with wounds on his head and chest.

His wife was said to have told police the two men had been out drinking on Friday night and that she had been unable to reach her husband the following morning.

She contacted authorities on Sunday after reportedly discovering his body inside the colleague's apartment in Rangoon’s riverside district.

"The victim and defendant are school teachers from Horizon International School and they are friends," a local officer told AFP.

The 25 year-old was being sought by police and remained at large, he added.

The international school, a private institution that offers kindergarten to high school classes, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We are providing help and support to the family of a British national following a death in Rangoon, Burma, and are in touch with the local authorities.”

Violent crimes involving foreigners are rare in Burma, which following the country's move towards democracy, has a small but swiftly-growing expatriate community.

In contrast, fatalities and accidents involving foreigners frequently make the headlines in neighbouring Thailand, a backpacker magnet which is home to a large foreign population.

In September, Thai police arrested three Americans in Bangkok after discovering the frozen body parts of another foreigner inside their freezer.