Patong Police were called to the scene, about 100 metres past the the Chao Por Seua Temple (“Tiger Temple”) at the top of hill, at 8:19pm.
Police and rescue workers arrived to find a white Toyota van registered in Songkhla had crashed head-on into a black Hyundai van registered in Phuket.
The foreign tourist who had stolen the van, not named in police reports, was trapped inside the vehicle.
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers had to use equipment to free him from the wreck. The tourist was then transported to Patong Hospital.
The driver of the Hyundai van, Sompong Rueangchan, had sustained leg injuries in the impact.
Thiwa Santichatsak, the owner of the stolen Toyota van, said he had parked with the engine running to buy durian in front of the PTT gas station on the way up to Patong Hill. The foreign man seized the opportunity to steal the van and sped off towards Patong.
The collision on Patong Hill paralyzed traffic in both directions for more than an hour. While directing what traffic they could past the accident site, Patong Police noted that efforts to clear the vehicles were still underway at 9:30pm.
Further investigation revealed that the same foreign tourist had previously been involved in another incident. Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee reported that the same tourist had assaulted a Myanmar citizen, a worker in the neighborhood, leading to his arrest and subsequent hospitalisation.
He managed to escape from the hospital, which led to the theft of the van and the ensuing accident.
Officials are coordinating with the relevant embassy regarding the foreign tourist’s actions and are conducting a thorough investigation into the incidents, police reported.