Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PPEA) workers were forced to shut down power supply to the area so that workers could safely carry out repairs as quickly as possible, an officer at the PPEA Thalang office told The Phuket News.
As the pole hit by the truck carried 115kV mains supply cables, the move to shut down the power supply affected a huge area in Mai Khao, as well Sakhu, Thepkrasattri and Phuket airport, the officer said.
Capt Sophanat Nayao of the Thalang Police confirmed that the truck driver, 29-year-old Sarut Chosagun, survived the heavy impact, and has been taken to Thalang Hospital.
A staffer at the Phuket International Airport public relations office at 2:30pm confirmed that the airport was without mains power.
“The power supply to the airport is still off, but it has not affected our flight schedule,” the staffer said.
“We have our own generators as backup, but they provide power for essential systems and critical areas only,” she added.
Passengers in the international and domestic terminals have been left sweltering while the main air conditioning units at have been rendered useless.
“We do have small air-conditioning units still operating, but it is hotter inside the terminals,” the staffer admitted.
“We apologise for the inconvenience. We are waiting for the power to come back,” she told The Phuket News.
The official at the PPEA Thalang office assured that workers were trying to have the power supply restored to the area as quickly as possible.
“We are aware that Phuket International Airport has their own generators for emergencies, and we are working as quickly as we can, but we cannot confirm when the power supply will be restored,” the official said.