Work begins to make Phuket “death bend’ safer

PHUKET: Work is underway to make safer the deadly bend on the hill road to the Big Buddha.

Suporn Vanitchakul, president of the Phra Phuttha Mingmongkol Foundation 45, explained that workmen on Monday began laying out markers and clearing the land.

The private road will be broadened to 12 meters along a 100m stretch that includes the notorious bend, which claimed the lives of six people and injured 14 others on Sunday.

Construction will take 15 days and cost about one million baht to complete, he said.

“Actually, the foundation wanted to widen that section of road before, but the landlord [of the adjacent plot] would not allow us to do anything.

“However, after the accident he donated the land to us. So now we are hurrying to improve the road as quickly as we can,” he said.

“Thanks to donations from local people and several organizations, the construction can start immediately with our foundation construction team,” Mr Suporn said.

“I am very thankful to everyone for making it possible for us to the improve the road in that curve so quickly; to the land owner for giving us the land; to people for giving us the landfill so we can widen the road; and to all the people who gave us donations so we can pay for the work to be done,” he added.

— Atchaa Khamlo