A Russian tourist lost her life, and 11 others sustained injuries in a van crash on Phuket's Thep Kasattri Road early on March 18. The van, carrying tourists en route to Similan Island in Phang Nga, slammed into a street light, causing severe damage. Police responded to the incident around 4 a.m., accompanied by rescue personnel from Kusol Dham Phuket Foundation and a medical team from Thalang Hospital.
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The accident left the vehicle severely damaged, particularly at the front, with a shattered windscreen after a broken guardrail penetrated the van. The deceased woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, was pronounced dead at the scene. Among the injured, three passengers were trapped inside, and rescue workers had to employ metal-cutting tools to extricate them before taking all injured parties to local hospitals.
Denchai, the 41-year-old driver, escaped unhurt and claimed he was neither intoxicated nor drowsy during the incident. He stated that he had slowed down upon observing a trailer moving ahead but subsequently lost control, causing the crash. The cause remains under investigation, with law enforcement actively seeking to understand how the guardrail punctured the vehicle.
Currently, police have not taken any legal action against Denchai pending further inquiry. The driver had been transporting the Russian tourists from Karon sub-district, Phuket, to their destination in Phang Nga, reported The Thaiger.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Thaiger · 18 Mar 2026