White smoke engulfs Phuket road after pickup truck breaks down

PHUKET — On the 3rd of August, 2026, a pickup truck emitted a thick white smoke that enveloped a road on the ascent of Kata Hill in Phuket, alarming motorists and inciting online conjecture on the origin. Social media platform Facebook posted dashcam footage, displaying a considerable quantity of white smoke consistently emanating from a vehicle on the Kata Hill-bound road in Karon subdistrict, Muang district, Phuket.

This occurrence caused concern among motorists following the vehicle, as the dense smoke obscured visibility, compelling drivers to decelerate and exercise heightened vigilance to avert potential collisions. The Facebook page captioned the footage: “A vehicle is spewing smoke all over the road on the way up Kata Hill. What caused this? Could the engine have overheated?”

Upon investigation, Pol. Col. Pathapee Srichai, chief of Karon Police Station, confirmed the vehicle was a closed-body pickup truck. The incident was attributed to engine damage, resulting in a vast expanse of white smoke being expelled from the vehicle, he explained. Post the incident, the vehicle owner requested a recovery truck to tow the pickup from the location and transport it to a repair garage.

Commotion in the area subsequently resumed normalcy. Police advised motorists to routinely inspect their vehicles, particularly the engine system, prior to traveling to ensure they are in safe and roadworthy condition. This preventive measure can alleviate vehicle breakdowns that could endanger drivers and other road users, while diminishing the probability of road accidents, police stated.