LAMPANG, Thailand – Passengers on a bus traveling from Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) to Chiang Mai were shaken when a 38-year-old man was found dead aboard the vehicle after it arrived at the Lampang Bus Terminal. Many were horrified to learn they had unknowingly shared the overnight journey with a deceased passenger.
At around 5:30 a.m. on June 16, police from Lampang City Station, forensic doctors from Lampang Hospital, and rescue workers responded to reports of a death on a two-story air-conditioned passenger bus. The deceased was identified as a 38-year-old man from Phichai Subdistrict, Mueang Lampang District.
He had been sitting alone on the upper deck’s rear left side since boarding the bus in Nakhon Ratchasima. Upon arrival at the terminal, bus staff asked all passengers to disembark and discovered the man had passed away. Initial examination showed bruises and bleeding on his left leg, but no signs of violence.
A post-mortem confirmed he died from a severe bloodstream infection caused by necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria. This aggressive bacterial infection rapidly destroys skin, fat, and muscle tissue, and is often fatal if not treated promptly.
The deceased man’s grandmother explained that on December 31, 2024, her grandson went on a meditation retreat in Thoen District. While riding his motorcycle back into Lampang city, he lost control and slipped, resulting in multiple abrasions and wounds on his body. Doctors stitched several dozen stitches on his upper arm. However, it remains unclear whether those wounds later became infected.
In March, he began complaining of headaches. Doctors diagnosed him with shingles, a perforated eardrum, and facial paralysis. He underwent treatment for these conditions over two months and reportedly recovered well. Because of this, his mother finds it hard to believe that he died from a necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) infection. (TNA)
