According to CCTV footage from the area, the accident occurred at about 2:48am. Pol Lt Col Somkiat Sarasit of the Chalong Police was informed of the accident soon after.
Police arrived at the scene, in front of Pan’s Kitchen restaurant opposite Soi Salika, to find a Phuket -registered Honda Click motorbike and a blue Yamaha YZF-R1, a 998cc sports motorcycle, both with heavy damage.
Three people were already dead at the scene: a 36-year-old Russian man, a 52-year-old Swedish man and a 44-year-old Thai woman*.
An 18-year-old Thai woman at the scene was injured and rushed to hospital.
Police said they were still investigating the accident.
According to the preliminary investigation, the Russian man and 18-year-old Thai woman were riding the Honda Click motorbike while the Swedish man and 44-year-old woman, a resident of Rawai, were riding Yamaha R1, registered in Bangkok, when the motorbikes collided.
Two motorbikes parked by the side of the road were also damaged in the accident.
According to national road safety agency Thai RSC, before the three deaths this morning, 48 people had died in accidents on Phuket’s roads since the beginning of the year, with another 6,605 people injured.
* The Phuket News is withholding the names of the deceased until it has been confirmed that their next of kin have been informed.