3 die, 36 hurt in bus crash

THALANG: Three people died yesterday afternoon when a Phuket Central Tour bus crashed on Thepkrasattri Rd about a kilometer south of the entrance to the Yacht Haven. The remaining 36 passengers, including six foreigners, were injured. Just 45 minutes after it left Phuket Town, bound for Bangkok, the bus flipped onto its side and crashed off the road on an S-curve at Moo 1, Baan Bang Dook, Tambon Mai Khao, known to locals as “Haunted Curve”. In the wreckage, police found two bodies – that of Wichit Polsanae, 44, one of the drivers, and that of a passenger, Supanya Poungsin, 34. Early this morning, the body of the other driver, Jamlong Jitlong, 39, who was driving at the time of the crash, was found floating in the canal next to the wreck. The police found evidence of oil spilled on the road, which they believe may have led to the driver losing control. A pick-up truck had turned over on the same stretch of road shortly before the bus crashed. The injured were taken to Wachira Phuket Hospital, Bangkok Phuket Hospital, and Thalang Hospital. Their names have not yet been released.