BURIRAM, THAILAND – A 58-year-old taxi driver was found dead in his completely burned-out cab on a village road in northeastern Thailand, with the cause of the fire initially unclear.
Taxi discovered engulfed in flames on village road
Shortly after midnight, residents in Ban Tha Ngam, a village in Phutthaisong district of Buriram province, spotted a taxi engulfed in flames on a concrete road. The Toyota taxi was standing unusually on the right-hand side of the carriageway and was already completely burned out when emergency crews arrived. Investigators found a nearly fully burned male body in the driver’s seat, later identified by police as 58-year-old village resident Kuson Suriwong.
No signs of attack at the scene
Forensic officers examined the charred vehicle at the scene and, according to police, found no traces of a struggle and no suspicious items nearby. Village headman Lamut Sribungngao, who was also the victim’s brother-in-law, said residents alerted him at about 1 a.m. when they saw the burning taxi.
“When we arrived, the fire had already destroyed most of the vehicle and the body inside,”
said Lamut, village headman.
Recent repairs raise questions
Lamut said it remained unclear how the fire had started and referred to recent repair work on the car.
“The question is whether the repair was really completed properly,”
said Lamut, noting that investigators would need to clarify this.
Return from Bangkok and financial strain
The victim’s niece, Sunisa Onthaisong (46), said her uncle had worked as a taxi driver in Bangkok and had returned to the home village only three days earlier. He had been trying to raise money to service a loan with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. According to Sunisa, Kuson’s car had broken down while he was driving in Prathai district of Nakhon Ratchasima province.
A mechanic had quoted repair costs of 20,000 baht, which Kuson could not afford. Instead, he asked the mechanic to simply reassemble the car and paid 5,000 baht for labor. Sunisa added that her uncle often slept in his car and suffered from a chronic leg condition, and said the family did not suspect anyone else of involvement and was leaving the investigation entirely to the police.
Autopsy to determine cause of death
Pol. Lt. Decha Butwiset, deputy investigator at Phutthaisong police station, said the remains had been sent to the forensic institute of the Police General Hospital for further examination.
“The exact cause of death must be clarified by forensic medicine,”
said Decha, deputy investigator.
He added that only after the analysis was completed could officers decide on the next steps in the investigation.
Investigators examine multiple possible causes
According to police, all possible causes were being examined, including a technical defect linked to the recent work on the vehicle. Key questions for investigators included whether a defect from the earlier repair had triggered the fire, whether the driver had been sleeping in the car at the time, and whether his health problems had played a role. Until the forensic examination was concluded, the death of the 58-year-old officially remained unexplained.