2-1-2025 (BANGKOK) A road accident in southern Thailand has claimed the lives of six people, including four youngsters, after a Bangkok-registered pickup truck crashed into a tree while attempting to avoid a collision with a school van.
The devastating incident occurred at 7:11 AM on January 2 along Asia Road 41 in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province, marking the second fatal crash in the area within 24 hours. The accident site lies just four kilometres from where a tourist bus tragedy claimed five lives the previous evening.
Investigation officer Lieutenant Pichit Khaosuwan of Chaiya Police Station, who led the immediate response, arrived at kilometre marker 124/500 to find the Toyota pickup truck severely damaged after colliding with a tree in the central reservation. Emergency services from the Kusonsattha Surat Thani Foundation were quickly deployed to the scene.
Among the deceased were two boys and two girls who died instantly in the impact. Three adults were rushed to Chaiya Hospital, where two subsequently succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to six.
Eyewitnesses report that the pickup truck, travelling southbound from Chumphon Province towards Trang Province, was moving at considerable speed when the driver attempted an emergency manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a school van collecting students. The evasive action proved fatal as the vehicle lost control and crashed into a tree in the median strip.
