SONGKHLA: A car carrying Malaysian tourists caught fire while waiting in line to enter Thailand via Sadao immigration checkpoint on Sunday, but nobody was injured.
Lum Foo Yew, 23, and his girlfriend were able to get out of the white Hyundai SUV, with registration plate number PJT-9278, when the fire broke out at about noon.
Sadao customs and immigration officials called fire engines from Tambon Samnak Kham Municipality to the scene. The firefighters took about 10 minutes to douse the flames after their arrival, and the vehicle was damaged beyond repair.
The Malaysian man said he and his girlfriend were travelling from Penang, heading for Songkhla's Hat Yai. They arrived at the border checkpoint after about two hours of driving.
While they were waiting to go through immigration procedures, he suddenly saw flames and smoke coming from the power transmission box inside the vehicle. The fire spread quickly.
They jumped out of the vehicle and took pictures of it with their mobile phones.