The following is our weekly feature in which we highlight the top local stories in our area of Phuket from the past week. The number of stories differs from week to week.

These are chosen and curated by our editorial team and are designed for our readers to get a quick “catch-up” of important stories they may have missed. We publish many stories daily and it is easy to lose track of important events or changes in our area. We do national recaps in a separate article, this is only the top local stories in the Phuket province.

They are in no particular order of importance but roughly in order of publishing. These are from Monday, December 11th to Sunday December 17th 2023.

1. Four Danish tourists have sustained injuries after a pickup truck crashed into their minivan taxi in Thep Krasattri.

The four Danish tourists, all in the same family, had just arrived at the Phuket International Airport before the accident.

2. A Russian man who was shirtless and shoeless was found walking around the Phuket International Airport in a daze, climbing onto shops, causing a public nuisance, and appearing to have mental issues. He was later briefly detained to get him assistance from friends.

Friends of the man were eventually successfully contacted and reportedly were assisting the man to safely get to his final destination.

3. A body which is believed to be that of a male foreigner was reportedly found floating in the sea off Karon.

However, rescue workers did not find the body and it was later reported that the body floated away.

4. A crane truck crashed into at least two power poles, two homes, and at least six cars and four motorbikes before catching fire in Patong. One person has been injured.

CCTV footage shows the crane truck seemed to be unable to ascend the hill before moving backwards.

Warning of graphic content in the CCTV footage video below.

5. Thai tourist police received a missing person report from Finnish parents that they could not contact their son as an anonymous person allegedly impersonated a Phuket police officer and asked for 7,000 euros to release their son.

The two are expected to be deported and blacklisted but may also face legal charges in Thailand for falsely claiming that they were kidnapped by Thai police and extorted for money.

That’s it for this week, take care and be safe!