A tour bus poked its nose into a utility pole in a roadside ditch after driving off the Petkasem highway in Khao Yoi district of Phetchaburi early Tuesday morning. Eleven of the 19 foreign passengers were injured. (Photo: Chaiwat Sathyam)
Phetchaburi: Eleven foreign passengers were injured when a tourist bus veered off the Petkasem highway and crashed into a power station in Khao Yoi district early Tuesday morning, police said.
The accident occurred at approximately 3:40 am near Kilometer Marker 147 on the Bangkok side of Petkasem Highway, Tambon Nong Prong.
A bus operated by Monthathip Tour and Travel Company was carrying 19 foreign tourists from Surat Thani to Bangkok, one of whom was a child. The drivers are Ampol Sukpanklang and Phichit Wittaya.
Passengers told police that the first driver, Mr. Ampol, got out of the driver’s seat and forced Mr. Phichit to get behind the wheel and continue driving without stopping the car.
The bus left the highway, entered a roadside ditch, and crashed into a utility pole. Eleven passengers were injured, none seriously. The injured were taken to his Bangkok Phetchaburi Hospital in Phetchaburi and his Phetcharat Hospital in Mahachai for treatment.
Police did not disclose the tourist’s nationality or other details.
