The discovery came after an overnight search sparked by reports that a black four-door Toyota Vigo had smashed through the bridge’s railing on the Phang Nga side shortly after 3am.
Initial investigations had confirmed the death of the male driver, but divers later found a second body – a woman – trapped inside the submerged vehicle.
Officials from the Phang Nga Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, together with Khok Kloi Police Superintendent Pol Col Worapong Phrom-in, District 15 Phuket security officers and Phuket Kusontham rescue divers, located the pickup on the seabed below the bridge. Its Surat Thani-registered licence plates were still attached.
The male victim was identified as Tripat Rattanaphong, 49, from Surat Thani. His body was found strapped into the driver’s seat, still holding a carved wooden Kuan Yin image. At last report officers were working to confirm the identity of the female victim.
Relatives later told officials that Mr Tripat had left home with his girlfriend but had not said where they were going. Shortly before midnight, the woman(unnamed in police reports) sent a final message via Messenger that appeared to be a farewell, the family said.
A witness, local fisherman Nattawut Wongnui, told police he had been casting nets from the bridge when he saw a man dressed in black walking repeatedly near the crash site. He later saw the same pickup accelerate along the bridge, forcing him to jump aside before it slammed into the barrier and disappeared into the sea. He insisted that at the moment of impact, he saw only one person inside.
Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage, which shows the driver using a forklift to drag aside a cement barrier blocking the bridge entrance shortly before the crash. Officers said this raised concerns the collision may have been intentional, though the final cause remains under review.
Officials have been unable to recover the vehicle so far due to strong currents, but rescue teams confirmed that both bodies have been retrieved from the cabin. Police and disaster-prevention officers are working with the families while a full investigation continues.
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