A 51-year-old Thai truck driver died inside his vehicle after waiting in line for fuel for more than 10 hours outside a gas station, suspectedly due to carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling too much exhaust.
According to Thai media reports, the tragedy occurred on Wednesday (25th) at a gas station in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand. The deceased was confirmed as 51-year-old Phut.
It was understood that the boss of the trucking company was unable to reach the deceased for a prolonged period and subsequently used GPS tracking to locate the truck, which was found to be parked at a gas station in Kui Buri district.
The boss then called the gas station to ask staff to assist in checking, and they were shocked to find Phut lying behind the driver’s seat at a table, while the truck’s engine was still running.
An initial police investigation found that the deceased drove into the gas station at 10:53 p.m. on March 24th (Tuesday). CCTV footage showed the truck had been parked for more than 10 hours without moving.
The police investigation also found that there was a small slit left open in the truck window, but do not rule out that the deceased died of carbon monoxide poisoning from inhaling excessive exhaust. However, police also stated that the deceased might have had underlying illnesses. The body has already been sent for autopsy to confirm the real cause of death.
Recently, long queues have been seen at gas stations across Thailand, with some stations forced to suspend operations due to fuel supply interruptions. Although Thailand's Energy Minister stated that fuel reserves are sufficient for 101 days and attributed the issue to distribution bottlenecks, panic among the public continues to grow.
To make matters worse, Thai authorities suddenly announced late on the night of the 25th that fuel prices would surge by 6 baht per liter from today (26th), triggering an even larger “last minute rush” to refuel across the country last night, and major stations once again descended into chaos.