Chinese boy killed as tour coach crashes at Patong hill
Phuket – A tour coach carrying Chinese tourists suffered a brake failure and hit a power pole as it descended Patong hill to enter Phuket’s famed beach leading to a 10-year-old boy dying and 25 others being injured, Thai News Agency said today (July 11).
The tour coach, which was carry altogether 35 passengers with 31 being Chinese tourists, was unable to brake while negotiating a sharp curve as it went downhill and hurled onto an electricity pole leading to 10-year-old Lyu Jle Rui being flung out and his head crushed by the vehicle.
Rescuers from Kusaltham Phuket and Phuket police rushed to the scene of the accident and helped the passengers get out of the coach after which they were taken to a hospital.
This accident occurred just 50 meters away from the site of another tour coach accident earlier this month when the big vehicle lost its balance and hit a resident’s motorcycle.
Police who questioned the injured guides said the coach was driven by Kritpol Nualtua, 36, and the 31 tourists were returning from a spa in Phuket town to their hotel at Patong beach when the accident occurred.
Near the point of accident there were a lot of cars parked and the driver had to continuously brake to avoid hitting them which finally led to a failure and coach then flipped and slid into a soi near a temple and hit several motorcycles parked there.
Police added that accidents repeatedly occur while descending into Patong beach and there was a push to build a tunnel through the hill to resolve this problem and while this was approved by a previous government, local politicians and some Patong beach residents opposed it on the grounds of scenery being spoiled and their traditional lifestyle being changed.
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Top and inset: The tour coach and the Chinese tourists after the accident at Patong hill. Photo: Thai News Agency
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