Police were called to the scene of the second collision, with the SUV, near the entrance of Soi Phra Barami 5 on Phra Barami Rd in Patong, at around 7.42am.
Officers along with rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation arrived to find the two men ‒ identified as Italian national Yazid Idrissi Aatouf and Hakimi Sudog from Narathiwat.
They were found unconscious and in critical condition. Both were transported to Patong Hospital.
According to police, the two men were riding a red Honda Zoomer-X motorbike, registered in Phuket, which initially collided with a van at Loma Circle at the north end of Patong Beach.
They then fled the scene but lost control while speeding along Phra Barami Rd. The motorbike veered across lanes and crashed head-on into a black SUV, also registered in Phuket.
Patong Police collected the damaged motorbike and SUV for evidence and questioned both the van and SUV drivers.
CCTV footage from the area is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation, Patong Police confirmed.
However, police have yet to clarify who was driving the motorbike when it struck the van, or the SUV.
Patong Police said legal action will be taken following further questioning of both of them once their conditions stabilise.