Pol Lt Col Thanaphop Rattanaburi, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) at Thalang Police Station, received a report at 4pm of a deceased person inside a tour bus parked beside the road to the airport.
Police coordinated with forensic doctors from Vachira Phuket Hospital, officers from Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and rescuers from the Sakhu Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) before attending the scene.
Officers found a white, Phuket-registered tour bus, belonging to 888 Travel and Transport Co, parked on the roadside about 150 metres from Thepkrasattri Rd.
Inside the vehicle, the body of Sanan Singkhala, 63, a resident of Phang Nga province, was discovered lying face up. Police estimated he had been dead for at least two hours by the time officers arrived.
A preliminary examination found no signs of assault or struggle. A bag containing medication, personal documents and some cash was found inside the bus.
Investigators noted that the engine compartment cover was open, indicating the vehicle had broken down. The rear belt was disconnected, suggesting repairs were pending.
The body was discovered by O Chaiyasawat, 50, who told police he had tried calling Mr Sanan earlier but received no answer.
“After dropping off a customer at Phuket Airport, I stopped by to check on him and found him dead,” he said. “We were friends, but worked for different companies. He had parked his bus there because it had broken down the previous night and was waiting for a mechanic.”
Police have contacted the bus company and sent the body for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death. The body will be released to the family for religious rites once the examination is complete, police noted.