PHUKET – Seventeen Chinese tourists were injured, when their bus driver lost control of the vehicle at a road curve Tuesday morning, January 16, in Phuket province’s Thalang district. A child was among those injured. They were on their way to the Similand Islands.
At 8:10 a.m., Tha Chatchai Police Station received notification of a collision at the Bang Duk curve on Thep Kasattri Road (outbound), Mai Khao Subdistrict, Thalang District. A tourist bus with Buriram provincial registration smashed into the median barrier, causing broken front glass. The bus toppled on its side, obstructing two lanes of traffic and allowing drivers to only use one.
Rescue workers from the Kusontham Foundation and the Mai Khao Subdistrict Administrative Organisation rescue team provide first aid to the injured before transferring them to Thalang Hospital with a tour operator official. Phuket Tourist Police officers take care of this.
According to initial investigations, 17 Chinese tourists, 10 males and 7 females, are heading from Phuket to the pier near Sarasin Bridge to board a boat to the Similan Islands in Phang Nga Province. There is also a Thai driver and two relatives on the bus.
The incident occurred along an S-shaped curve. Buses frequently topple on this curve, resulting in numerous accidents. Signs have been put to warn drivers to be cautious.
Mr. Suwan Promsarn, 39, the bus driver, claimed that he swerved the vehicle to avoid a truck travelling in the same way before losing control and overturning. Fortunately, it wasn’t at high speed. As a result, the passengers suffered only minor injuries.
