After toppling over the bus slid on its side into a sugar palm tree, leaving it with a badly bent body.
The driver, Anan Thongnak from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, admitted that he had been working long hours and was “dizzy”.
“I do 12 trips a day. This was the first one today. Yesterday’s last one was at 2 am this morning,” he said.
Anan said he was driving from The Front Village in Karon and after he passed Wat Tha Reua [just south of the Heroines Monument] the right wheel hit the central reservation and the minibus went out of control.
The four injured tourists were named as Xiang Quam Bia, 61, Laming Lin, 61, Bin Jiajun, 25, and Hai Bo Zhong, 38. None was seriously injured and all were released after treatment at Thalang Hospital.
Mr Anan, who drives for Phuket ABC Tour, was also slightly injured. He will be questioned by police.