Phuket temple visit postponed after car bursts into flames

PHUKET: Two women on their way to Phuket’s famous Chalong Temple escaped from their car on Chao Fa East Road shortly before it burst into flames.

Police responded to a 5:30pm call to find 31-year-old Kesara Thongnop, the driver of the car, and a friend siting in shock by the side of the road next to a burned out white Toyota Vios.

“They had been on their way to Wat Chalong when they smelled something burning. They pulled over to the shoulder to check, and suddenly, a fire broke out in the engine and spread throughout the car,” Capt Thada Sodarak of the Chalong Police said.

“Our initial assumption is that an electrical short circuit started the fire, but forensic police will investigate to confirm the cause,” he said.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong