A foreign tourist who escaped from a hospital stole a tourist van and crashed head-on with another vehicle at high speed on Patong Hill.

On the night of July 6, traffic on Patong Hill, one of the busiest areas of Phuket Island in Thailand, was paralyzed due to a daring hijacking of a minibus and subsequent accident involving a foreign tourist. The Phuket News reported this.

The incident occurred about 100 meters from the “Temple of the Tiger” at the top of the hill. At 20:19 local time, Patong police received a report of a severe traffic accident.

Police and rescue workers arriving at the scene found that a white Toyota minibus registered in Songkhla province had collided head-on with a black Hyundai minibus with Phuket license plates.

The culprit of the accident was a foreign tourist who had stolen the Toyota minibus and was trapped in the mangled vehicle after the collision. The police did not disclose the identity and nationality of the foreigner.

Rescuers of the Kusoldharm Foundation had to use special equipment to free the tourists from the wreckage of the mangled minibus. The foreigner was then taken to Patong Hospital. The driver of the Hyundai minibus, Sompong Ruengchan, also suffered leg injuries in the collision.

The owner of the stolen Toyota minibus, Tiwa Santichatsak, initially claimed that he briefly left the vehicle with the engine running near a PTT gas station on the way to Patong Hill to buy durian.

However, the CCTV footage shows that Santichatsak did not just leave the minibus with the engine running and a group of tourists inside but got on a motorcycle and drove in an unknown direction. At this time, the foreigner kicked out the tourists inside the minibus, then took advantage of the fact that the vehicle started and drove at high speed towards Patong.

The collision on Patong Hill paralyzed traffic in both directions for more than an hour. Patong police, while trying to organize a detour to the accident site, reported that evacuation work on the damaged vehicles was still ongoing at 9:30 pm.

Further investigation revealed that the foreign tourist had previously distinguished himself in another incident. Phuket MP Chalermpong Sengdi said that the foreigner had previously assaulted a Myanmar national working in the area, leading to his arrest and subsequent hospitalization. However, the tourist managed to escape from the hospital, which led to the hijacking of the minibus and subsequent accident.

Police say they are conducting a thorough investigation into the entire incident and coordinating with the relevant embassy regarding the foreign tourist’s illegal actions.

The incident sparked a strong reaction on social media among Phuket locals, who expressed extreme displeasure with the incident. Many blame the increase in the number of such incidents involving foreigners on the legalization of marijuana in Thailand, as well as a simplified and visa-free entry regime for foreign citizens for an extended period.

Phuket authorities urge all tourists and locals to be more careful and responsible to avoid such incidents in the future. They also assure that they are considering tightening control over the behaviour of foreign citizens on the island and revising some aspects of tourism policy.

It is worth noting that Patong Hill is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in Phuket due to its steep curves and frequent rains, which make the road slippery. Many accidents occur here every year, so authorities are constantly working to improve the safety of this section.

Despite the unpleasant incident, Phuket remains one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, attracting millions of visitors every year with its beautiful beaches, rich culture, and hospitality. The island’s authorities assure that they are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of both tourists and locals and urge everyone to abide by the laws and rules of behaviour while vacationing on the island.

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