Police were called to the scene, at the U-turn point on Phetkasem Rd in front of Saengtawan Safari, in Tambon Tha Yu, Takua Thung District, at 10:27pm.
According to police, the driver of the trailer truck, 27-year-old Phirawat Chong, was hauling a load of part-processed rubber sheets from Nakhon Sri Thammarat to Phuket when the truck struck the rear of a non-regular passenger bus that had been waiting to make a U-turn.
The impact caused the trailer truck, registered in Surat Thani, to burst into flames, trapping Mr Phirawat inside.
Mr Phirawat’s girlfriend, Kusuma Kanae, was with him as his passenger at the time of the crash. She was able to escape the burning vehicle, but Mr Phirawat was unable to free himself in time.
Emergency responders extinguished the fire, but Mr Phirawat was found dead at the scene. He was taken to Phang Nga Hospital, where he was formally pronounced dead.
Police did not report Ms Kusuma as suffering any injuries from the accident.
The bus, registered in Phang Nga, sustained heavy damage to its rear. Police did not report the bus driver sustaining any injuries, and did not report any passengers on the bus at the time of the accident.
Police reported they were still investigating the cause of the accident, with the bus driver being questioned as part of the ongoing inquiry.