UPDATE
MOTORISTS attempting to get up and over Patong Hill faced more delays just before 2pm when a bus ascending the hill from the Phuket City side broke down opposite the Patong City sign.
Original Report
PHUKET: One person is dead and nine are being treated for injuries after a Phuket bus lost its brakes and smashed into motorcycles and other vehicles as it descended Patong Hill out of control today.
The dead man is a motorcycle taxi driver, killed when the bus hit him. Rescue workers used cutting equipment to free the bus driver, trapped in his cabin.
The injured are being treated at Patong Hospital where doctors are assessing the damage caused by the out-of-control bus about 8am.
Many people were on the roads for Phuket's peak hour, with people trying to get out of the way and screaming as the bus ripped past the Patong temple intersection to crash in Phisit Koranee Road.
Traffic was delayed as a crowd gathered to watch paramedics treat the injured before they were carried away in ambulances.
Spectacular crashes - mostly involved runaway buses - have been a frequent event at the landmark junction in front of Wat Suwankiriwong.
Patong Hill needs a Run Away Truck Ramp as much as the new tunnel.
For those who don't know, A run away ramp is built along side the hazard areas and filled with gravel to let a Bus or Truck come to a stop by sinking in the gravel.
Posted by john on March 15, 2013 09:31