Warrant issued for driver of overturned Phuket tour bus

PHUKET: Police have confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for the driver of the tour bus that overturned in Phuket last week.

Kathu Police Superintendent Arayapan Pukbuakao told the Phuket Gazette the warrant was issued today.

The double-deck tour bus overturned on Patong Hill just two kilometers short of its final destination.

The 53 people on board were returning home from a four-day tour to Udon Thani province, where they attended the cremation service for revered monk Luangta Bua Yannasampanno.

In the confusion immediately after the accident, the Gazette was told that the driver was not injured and was at Patong Police Station for questioning.

However, the Gazette has since been told that the driver was slightly injured and last seen at Patong Hospital.

“We continue to search for him, but we haven’t caught him yet. We know his name is Yongyut and his nickname is Nuan, but we don’t know his surname,” Col Arayaphan said.

Col Arayaphan said he thought the man may have returned to his native Phang Nga for hospital treatment.

Patong Police are coordinating with their counterparts in Phang Nga to try to find the man.

Patong Police duty officer Lt Pattapee Srichay told the Gazette on Friday that there was a rumor two people had died in the crash, but a check with staff at Patong, Bangkok Phuket and Vachira Phuket hospitals confirmed there was only one death.

For the reaction of surviving passengers, and to learn more about the cause of the crash, pick up a copy of the Phuket Gazette, now on newsstands all over the island.

Digital subscribers can download the whole newspaper by clicking here.

— Atchaa Khamlo