PHUKET, THAILAND – A Russian tourist was killed and 11 compatriots were injured when a tour van crashed into a lamppost in the early hours on Phuket.
Accident shortly after four in the morning
Around 4 a.m., officers from Thachatchai Police Station were informed of the crash and headed to the scene with rescuers from the Kusol Dham Phuket Foundation and a medical team from Thalang Hospital.
At the site, they found a white van with a heavily damaged front that had slammed into a streetlight. A guardrail had penetrated the front of the vehicle and shattered the windshield.
One woman dead, eleven passengers injured
The Russian holidaymaker, whose name was not given in the report, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A total of 11 Russian passengers suffered injuries. Three of them had to be freed from the vehicle by rescue workers.
Rescue operation and hospitals
Rescue teams used technical equipment to extricate the trapped occupants from the damaged van.
The injured were then transported to Thalang Hospital, Mission Hospital and Vachira Hospital. There was initially no information on their conditions.
Driver uninjured – account of the crash
The driver, 41-year-old Denchai, remained uninjured. He told police he had picked up 12 Russian passengers in Karon and had been on his way to the Similan Islands in neighboring Phang Nga province.
Denchai stated that he saw a semi-trailer truck ahead, reduced speed and then lost control of the vehicle. He ruled out alcohol or falling asleep at the wheel when speaking to officers.
No charges yet – investigation ongoing
Police said the exact cause of the accident was still under investigation. No legal action had yet been taken against the driver.
Authorities reported a comparable guardrail accident on 17 March in Pathum Thani, where a sedan crashed into a guardrail. The 33-year-old driver Pratin died, and investigators were reviewing CCTV footage.
Road safety in tourist transfers
Night-time trips to excursion destinations such as the Similan Islands formed part of the standard offer by tour operators on Phuket. Transfers often started in the early morning so that groups arrived on time.
Authorities and consumer advocates regularly pointed out that vehicle condition and driver fitness on such long-distance transfers should be checked systematically. Concrete consequences from this latest accident were still pending.