SAMUT PRAKAN: An uninjured taxi driver was found dead on open ground beside a road in Muang district on Monday evening. An autopsy will determine whether he died of Covid-19 or some other illness.
Sriprai Thiansawang, 49, was lying near a cement safety barrier. A green-yellow Toyota taxi with the engine still running was parked on the road nearby, Pol Lt Purithat Sripottham, an investigator of Muang police station, said.
The body was discovered by a passer-by and reported to police about 6pm. The area is adjacent to a road to Chamni School in tambon Thai Mai.
There were no obvious injuries on the body.
A bottle containing hand sanitising gel and an alcohol sprayer for passengers were found in the taxi.
The body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy to establish the cause of death.
The dead man's wife, Suchada Wanplaopring, 37, said she noticed her husband had a sore throat with dry coughing about two weeks ago, but he did not have a fever or show any signs of sickness. He usually left home in his taxi at 4am and returned home about 10am. He would go out again about 4pm and return home before the night curfew at 10pm.
While the cause of her husband's death was still not known, Ms Suchada was advised to self-isolate for 14 days.