The accident took place at about 10:30am, some 30 kilometres north of Kurburi.
One of the passengers on the minibus, operated by Kathu-based TVR Co, told The Phuket News on condition of anonymity: “The driver – he’s only a young guy – was going very fast, about 120 kilometres an hour, and was trying to overtake on a bend. There was a vehicle coming the other way, so he swerved to avoid it.
“The minibus went off the road, fell onto its side and then slid into a tree.”
The driver and eight of the nine passengers were injured, he said, some badly. “One has a broken back; another has a broken neck,” he told The Phuket News.
“I don’t know why they have to drive like this.”
However, a TVR company spokesman, who also asked not to be named, denied that anyone’s back or neck had been broken, though he admitted one passenger had a broken leg.
He said two passengers had to be hospitalised but have both since been discharged, while another seven needed first aid treatment only.
The driver, he said, is already driving again on visa runs.
“Accidents can happen anywhere,” he added. “You can’t predict them. No one wanted this to happen – everyone understands this. Our company’s service is safe and we have insurance.”