Jordan Jacobs told his parents before his disappearance that a man had taken him to an island and would not let him leave

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A British traveller who was reported missing in Thailand five days ago after telling his parents that a man had taken him to an island and would not let him leave has been found.

Jordan Jacobs, 21, from Lyneham, Wiltshire, had been due to fly home on Wednesday for Christmas but was last seen on one of the popular Phi Phi islands on Saturday, leading his family to start a search.

Police Lt Col Jetsada Junphum on Koh Phi Phi Don told the Guardian that Jacobs was speaking to the police after a successful search.

“We found him trying to apply for a diving job on Koh Phi Phi. He was walking along the beach. He is alive and really well,” said Jetsada. “He has 6-7,000 baht left and a credit card. He shaved his beard.”

Jerome Taylor (@JeromeTaylor) Tourist police in Krabi with no longer missing Brit backpacker #JordanJacobs pic.twitter.com/26SBteMvXW

Jacobs told the Telegraph that he had been just “chilling out” and “perhaps having a bit too much fun” on the island. He said he had been unable to charge his phone for the last few days and check the internet, so he had “no idea this was all going on”.

Jacobs’s family became concerned after receiving a phone call from him on Monday when he told them he had “said too much” and “can’t talk”.

His sister Emily said in a Facebook post it was believed her brother accepted a free ride to Ko Phi Phi Don from a Thai man he met near a laundrette close to the Pak Up hostel, in the Krabi district of the mainland.

Later, he borrowed a phone from another traveller and made contact with his family.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman confirmed Jacobs had been found: “Our embassy staff have spoken with Jordan Jacobs to check on his welfare and we will remain in contact with his family to provide any further assistance required.”

Emily Jacobs, his sister, had previously appealed for help on her Facebook page.