On Sunday (13 Sept) morning, a 37-year-old delivery driver died after his six-wheeled truck caught fire while he was sleeping inside at a petrol station in Rayong Province, Thailand.
Authorities were dispatched to the scene and found the truck carrying a tractor on its flatbed, with the cabin also severely charred.
The body of the driver, identified as Phonlawat (name transliterated from Thai), was found inside the rear sleeping berth. He had fatal burns all over his body.
According to a petrol station attendant, smoke and flames were seen billowing from the parked vehicle, followed by the sound of the cabin’s glass windows exploding.
The attendant and several long-haul truck drivers grabbed fire extinguishers to suppress the flames before discovering Mr Phonlawat’s body inside and alerting authorities.
Source: Daily News
The intended buyer of the tractor, a local village headman named Chumphol (name transliterated from Thai), said he had purchased the 800,000-baht (about S$30,400) tractor from Phitsanulok Province.
It was reported that Mr Phonlawat left Phitsanulok around 11am and reached Klaeng District at approximately 10pm.
He had pulled into the station to sleep overnight ahead of the scheduled morning delivery.
Rescue officers said Mr Phonlawat likely used a portable fan plugged into the truck’s 12-volt socket while sleeping.
Source: Daily News
As he was exhausted from the long drive, he probably slept soundly as an electrical short-circuit caused the fan to overheat and ignite the cabin’s interior. This likely caused rapid combustion that trapped him inside.
His body was later transferred to Klaeng Hospital for a formal autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
Authorities have also contacted his family for the funeral arrangements.
Also read: Lorry driver in Thailand found dead after waiting for over 10 hours to refuel at petrol station
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Featured image adapted from Daily News.