Phuket residents are calling for an investigation after smoke and a burning smell were reported coming from cracks in a road in Thalang district, raising concerns about possible risks to motorists and pedestrians.
Residents asked the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) to inspect a road near Ban Lipon Intersection after smoke was seen rising through cracks in the road surface. People in the area reported smelling what they believed was burning electrical cable at the scene.
A Thai woman who runs a som tam stall nearby said she first noticed the smoke on the morning of September 20 while it was raining.
She initially thought someone had dropped a cigarette on the road, but nobody was smoking in the area. The smoke had stopped by late morning.
The woman said the incident was frightening and claimed that no agency had visited the area to investigate or repair the road.
Residents suspect that an underground power cable could have short-circuited, although they said they could not confirm the source of the smoke.
The smoke was reportedly light, but residents said they were concerned after hearing intermittent popping sounds from beneath the road.
They said the problem could involve an underground electrical line, a communications cable or another source.
Residents also said the junction carries heavy traffic and urged the electricity authority and other relevant agencies to inspect the area as soon as possible in case a fault beneath the road poses a risk to drivers or pedestrians.
At the time of reporting, the Provincial Electricity Authority and other relevant government agencies had not issued a statement about the incident. It also remained unclear whether smoke was still coming from the cracks or whether the problem had stopped.
A similar incident was reported in Bangkok in July, when residents near Wongwian Yai Roundabout and Prachathipok Road were evacuated after road subsidence and cracking following a water leak at a construction site for the MRT Purple Line South extension.
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