A MONSTER traffic jam which lasted 4 hours occurred on the road leading to Phuket’s popular Patong beach today (Jan. 13) with this being caused by a truck dropping 11 large and heavy metal sheets on one of the two lanes, the Thai-language Matichon daily reported.
Pol. Capt. Prasert Thongphanom, an investigation officer at Kamala police station in Kathu district, rushed to the scene of the accident together with other officers after being informed of the accident, and the ensuing massive traffic jam.
There they found 11 brown-color metal sheets, each weighing 2.5 tons, scattered on the road with the Chiang Mai-registered truck parked nearby.
As there was only 1 traffic lane left open, this led to big tailbacks on both sides of the road. It took officers 4 hours to remove these heavy metal sheets, and only then did the traffic flow normally again.
Upon being questioned the truck driver, Mr Vivat Wanyu, 33, said he was driving the truck loaded with the 11 metal sheets, weighting altogether 27.5 tons, from Bangkok to a construction site at Jungceylon shopping complex at Patong beach.
However, when he reached this area and started ascending the hill to reach Patong beach, the metal sheets, which were not tightly fastened, fell on the road, and fortunately no other vehicles were nearby.
Police are filing 3 charges against him with one being reckless driving, and the other two being using a vehicle that is not strong enough and dropping the load of metal sheets he was carrying on the road.
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Top: The heavy metal sheets scattered on the road leading to Patong beach. Photo: Matichon
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