PHUKET: Police in Patong have had water-filled barriers installed on a curve in Kalim in the hope of preventing more drivers from plunging over the road’s edge down to the beach below. Three foreign tourists have already fallen victim to the sharp curve this month, police said.
The curve, along the Kalim beachfront, is located just before reaching the Ban Kalim Municipal School, north of Patong, Patong Police noted in their announcement today.
The final straw came yesterday (Oct 13) when yet another foreign driver plunged over the edge of the road, the announcement added.
“Three times [already this month] and all three times there were foreign tourists [sic] injured and property damage,” it said.
Patong Police Chief Col Suchin Nilabadee and Deputy Chief Lt Col Ekarat Plaidueng ordered Patong Traffic Police Chief Maj Wuttiwat Liang Boonjinda to investigate the cause of the accidents, the announcement continued.
“In order to and find preventive measures to prevent people and tourists using vehicles to drive through such routes resulting in accidents causing property damage or death,” it said.
The announcement gave no description of the extent of the injuries suffered in the three accidents.
This morning, workers from Patong Municipality and the Phuket Highways Office together installed plastic organe barriers filled with water along the roadside as a temporary solution to the problem, said the announcement.
The Phuket Highways Office will set up cement blocks along the outer edge of the curve as a permanent measure, the announcement concluded.
Three foriegn drivers fall for Kalim corner in two weeks