Vice Governor Khajornkiet Rakpanichmanee announced on Sept 7 that the road – Route 4031, which runs parallel to the runway at Phuket International Airport – will remain closed to traffic until long-term measures to prevent the landslides have been completed. (See story here.)
Tha Chathcai Police Lt Col Buttadasak Sriles was notified at 8:45pm last night that there has been an accident on the airport runway road. He was told that a motorist had died after he crashed his motorbike into concrete road barriers.
Police arrived at the scene with rescue workers from the Mai Khao Tambon Administration Organisations (OrBorTor) and Kusoldhram to find a Honda Click smashed into the barriers. Not far from away was the body of 25-year-old Mr Saran Nantabut from Phang Nga province.
Lt Col Buttadasak said that according to local residents, Mr Saran was heading towards the airport on his motorbike at high speed when he slammed into the barriers.
“They said there were lights in the area, but we believed Mr Saran was in a hurry and unaware that the road had been closed for works,” he said.
Mr Saran’s body was taken to Thalang Hospital.