A Malaysian man injured in a bomb explosion in southern Thailand said he had been asleep inside his vehicle and was unaware of what had happened until after the blast.
“I had no idea what was going on because I fell asleep in the car after having a meal. When I woke up, the bomb had already exploded,” said 45-year-old Abdullah Syarapi Abd Rahman.
Abdullah was among two Malaysians injured in the explosion at the Sapom junction in Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province, on Monday.
He said he and his friend, 38-year-old Muhammad Yusri Udin, were travelling back to Malaysia in a sport utility vehicle (SUV) after spending the night in Thailand.
The pair had stopped for a meal in Narathiwat before continuing their journey home.
After eating, Abdullah said he dozed off inside the vehicle and remained asleep until the explosion occurred.
“When I woke up, the blast had already happened,” he told reporters while receiving treatment at the emergency ward of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II in Kota Bharu on Tuesday.
Abdullah said they were less than an hour into their journey from Narathiwat and were already approaching the Malaysian border when the explosion occurred.
He expressed gratitude for surviving the incident, which he said could easily have claimed lives.
“I am thankful to be alive. The Thai government was very kind and offered to continue treating me until I recovered, but I was concerned about my work, so I requested to return to Malaysia for treatment,” he said.
He added that his family, who live in Selangor, had been informed of his condition following the incident.
Earlier, the two Malaysian victims injured in the bomb blast at Sapom junction were transferred to a hospital in Kelantan for further medical treatment.
