The accident occurred at around 1am in Soi Thepanusorn.
Police along with rescue teams from the Kusoldharm Phuket Foundation and forensic doctors from Vachira Phuket Hospital arrived to find a Phuket-registered Toyota van severely damaged at the front, having collided head-on with a concrete high-voltage pole.
The impact caused the pole to break and fall onto the van, resulting in a dangerous electrical leak and a small explosion at the electric meter, which ignited a fire that quickly spread to the vehicle.
The driver, identified as 29-year-old Thanakorn Phatawong, was found dead inside the vehicle. He appeared to have been electrocuted at the wheel, with visible burn marks and bruising. His leg was trapped beneath the steering column, and his body was pinned by the fallen pole.
Rescue workers attempted to cut open the vehicle to retrieve the victim but were unable to remove the body until a crane from the Provincial Electricity Authority was brought in to lift the damaged pole. The recovery operation took nearly two hours.
Initial investigations suggest that Mr Thanakorn may have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the crash. His body was transported to Vachira Phuket Hospital for examination as standard procedure before being released to his family for funeral arrangements.
A witness, Surasak Abuwa, told police he heard the sound of a vehicle losing control and crashing into a shop. He did not initially see what kind of vehicle it was but later realised it was a van.
He claimed he saw the driver attempting to move inside the vehicle before a loud explosion occurred on the driver’s side, likely from the transformer, sparking a fire. A nearby 7-Eleven employee reportedly tried to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher.
Mr Thanakorn was reportedly driving alone at the time of the incident, and no other vehicles were involved. Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.