Man dies as bike crashes and burns

PHUKET TOWN: Police are investigating a crash last night that left a foreigner dead and his hired motorcycle a burnt-out shell. Two cars were also involved. The man, named by police as Etienne Jacques Payan, was carrying an international driving license issued in Britain. Today an officer went from Phuket Town to Krabi, where the motorcycle was rented, to investigate further. A 20-year-old woman, Nattakorn Buanglang, who had been riding pilion survived the smash but collapsed in shock before she could tell police what had happened. She was taken to Wachira Phuket Hospital. So was Yupa Tongaram, driver of a Honda sedan damaged on its front and side in the crash. She was later transferred to Phuket International Hospital. The front of a Missubishi owned by Wissanu Jitkum, 36, was also damaged when the motorcycle and the cars crashed at 10:30 pm in front of the Mook Koh Kaew shop on Wichit Songkram Rd. Pol Capt Kittitat Daengnui, of Phuket Town Police Station, said that when police arrived, they found the man’s body in front of a small shrine opposite the shop. The burnt-out motorcycle was nearby, with the two cars parked by the roadside. Mr Payan’s body was taken for autopsy at Wachira Phuket Hospital.