Van fells power lines in Koh Kaew

Police were informed of the accident at about 2:40am, reported Pol Lt Col Udom Petcharat, Chief of Investigation at Phuket City Police Station. .

Officers and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived at the scene to find six high-voltage power poles still conducting live current had fallen onto the road.

A Bangkok-registered white Toyota van at the scene had suffered heavy damage to its front, with the driver trapped inside the cab.

Rescue workers had to wait for the power supply to the felled power poles to be shut off before they could recover the driver Thanakorn Sanguansuk, 34, from the vehicle.

Thanakorn was administered emergency first aid for a deep wound to his forehead, then rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Thanakorn told officers that he was driving from Phuket Town when he lost control of the van on the curve, and struck just the one power pole. The force of the impact felled the pole, causing the other power poles to fall, he said.

Police said they were continuing their investigation into the accident.

Meanwhile, the road remained closed while workers from Phuket Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) carried out repairs to the felled power lines and restored power supply to the area.