Two killed after taxi crashes into expressway pillar
A taxi driver and his female passenger were killed when his vehicle crashed into a pillar on an elevated expressway and caught fire early Friday morning.
A witness heard the woman crying in pain but he could not rescue her as the taxi's doors were locked and the taxi was quickly engulfed in flames.
Pol Lt Col Thinnakorn Wannakul, deputy inspector at Bang Plad police station, was informed of the accident on the frontage road along Bang Plad gate to the Sriraj expressway at 2.30am.
When he arrived at the scene, firefighters were trying to put out the blaze. It was finally put under control 30 minutes later.
Two charred bodies were found - one behind the driver’s seat and the other in the back left passenger seat.
The taxi driver was identified as Thongchan Patikha, 49, from Kalasin. His driver's ID card and his mobile phone were not damaged. Police used his phone to inform his family.
But the woman could not be identified as her clothes and identification cards were all burned.
One witness, Boonruang Dokchampa, 57, said he heard the crash, ran over and saw the taxi starting to catch fire.
He also heard the woman crying in pain but he could not get to the vehicle as the fire took hold..
