Phuket van crash kills Russian woman, injures 11 others
A Russian woman was killed, and 11 other Russian nationals were injured in a Phuket van crash on Thep Kasattri Road in Thalang district in the early hours of today, March 18, while travelling to Similan Island in Phang Nga.
Thachatchai Police Station officers were notified about the fatal accident at about 4am and went to the scene with rescuers from the Kusol Dham Phuket Foundation and a medical team from Thalang Hospital.
Police found a white van hitting a street light. The front of the vehicle was heavily damaged, and a broken guardrail penetrated the van, shattering the windscreen.
The Russian woman, whose name was not disclosed in the report, was pronounced dead at the scene. Eleven other Russian nationals were injured, with three passengers trapped inside the damaged van.
Rescuers used metal-cutting equipment to free those trapped and took the injured to Thalang Hospital, Mission Hospital, and Vachira Hospital. The report did not mention the condition of any of the injured foreigners.
The van driver, 41 year old Denchai, was not injured. He told police he had picked up 12 Russian passengers from Karon sub-district, Phuket, and was driving them to Similan Island in Phang Nga.
Denchai insisted that he was not drunk and did not fall asleep at the wheel. He claimed he saw a trailer travelling ahead and reduced his speed, then lost control and crashed into the street light. He did not explain how the guardrail penetrated the vehicle.
Police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no legal action has yet been taken against the driver.
In a similar incident in Pathum Thani yesterday, March 17, a sedan crashed into a guardrail, causing the rail to penetrate the vehicle. The Thai driver, 33 year old Pratin, died at the scene, and police are reviewing CCTV footage to determine whether any other motorists were involved in the fatal crash.
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