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AN AUSTRALIAN tourist is dead and eight other Australians have been injured after a tour jeep ran off the Big Buddha road in southern Phuket today and toppled down a steep embankment.
The vehicle came to rest after crashing into an adventure park and injuring a young elephant, tethered to a stake.
The dead Australian, married in Sydney a week ago, was honeymooning on Phuket. His wife is among those in hospital, and she is now in a satisfactory condition.
Aimee Malonzo, nee Dykstra, 26, whose husband Michael, 26, was killed in the crash, held back tears this afternoon as she told what happened.
Mrs Malonzo said she believed the driver missed a gear change or the gear slipped in taking a sharp left hand-bend on the steep descent.
The tour jeep hit a parked car and flipped off the road and about 10 metres down an embankment about 11am.
Mrs Malonzo, a dance teacher from Camden, suffered a fractured pelvis.
''We had just been enjoying a ride on some elephants,'' she said. ''My parents are flying out from Australia and they will be here late tomorrow.''
Among the injured were brothers Tori Giles, aged 14 and Tylar, aged 11 from Bridgetown, Western Australia. Their mother suffered a broken arm.
While the passengers were all Australians, they had been picked up by a tour minivan from various resorts.
The Malonzos were staying at the Moevenpick Resort in Karon and the boys were staying with their mother at the Horizon Resort, also in Karon.
Two Thais, the driver and his companion, were also injured in the crash.
The vehicle belonged to Siam Safari, one of several tourist-related businesses that have opened on the six-kilometre climb to the 45-metre Big Buddha statue, at the top of Nakkerd Hill in Chalong.
Another elephant adventure camp was where the tumbling jeep came to rest after collecting a young female elephant named Tongkom.
The five-year-old elephant was treated by handlers for wounds to its trunk and was reported to be recovering.
Phuket's Governor, Wichai Praisa-ngob, was distressed to hear of the crash and visited the injured at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, this afternoon, presenting Mrs Malonzo with a large basket of fresh fruit.
The Governor offered Mrs Malonzo any assistance she might require and said he would answer her call around the clock.
With him were officials from the Public Health department and nine representatives from Phuket Red Cross.
The hospital named the injured as Aimee Dykstra, Nicole Wilmot, 24, Tylar Giles, 11, Tori Jay Giles, 14, Dannet Lea Roberts, 49, Sarah Louise Korver, 11, Margaret Korver, 41, Susan Rose McNelis, 16, Authai Choichana and the driver, Damrong Teamsamer, 35
All are in a satisfactory condition, and four have been admitted for further treatment. It was the second death of an Australian tourist on Phuket so far this year.
The first victim, a well-known Sydney lawyer, was on holiday on the island with a female companion, also from Australia.
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This is very sad news. And when, with all the donations that are being received, when will the road actually be fully surfaced?
Posted by Jamie on January 15, 2010 14:40