The accident occurred at about 4.15am at the Thalang Intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd, in Moo 1, Thalang.
Thalang Police investigator Pol Lt Col Niwat Timket said police were notified of a two-vehicle collision with a person trapped inside and coordinated with Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation rescue workers and an ambulance from Thalang Hospital to attend the scene.
On arrival, officers found a white private ambulance, registered in Bangkok, with its front end heavily damaged after ramming into the rear of a six-wheeled enclosed truck registered in Surat Thani.
The truck driver was identified as Thanawat Thongpoon, 27 and the ambulance driver, later identified by police only as ‘Mr Nattapol’, was found trapped behind the steering wheel, with his right leg pinned on the accelerator pedal.
Rescue workers used hydraulic cutting equipment for more than 30 minutes to free the injured ambulance driver before rushing him to Thalang Hospital for medical treatment.
Inside the ambulance, police found the body of a deceased person covered with a sheet.
Mr Nattapol later told police that he was transporting the deceased from Bangkok to Kathu, accompanied by two relatives, for a religious ceremony.
He said that upon reaching the intersection, the six-wheel truck ahead had stopped and activated its right-turn signal, when his ambulance collided with the rear of the vehicle, causing the injuries.
Thalang Police said they were continuing their investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash and will take further legal action if warranted.