BANGKOK: Nine villagers were killed after a pickup truck carrying a large group of local residents crashed on a steep downhill stretch of Highway 1256 in Nan’s Pua district on Saturday (April 18) evening, with rescue teams rushing 14 injured passengers to hospital after the wreck.
Police were alerted at 5.55pm to the crash at Huai Yen curve, kilometre 8+700, on the Pua–Doi Phu Kha National Park–Bo Kluea route, near the boundary between Ban Na Lae and Ban Mon.
Five people died at the scene, while later updates said the death toll had risen to nine.
The vehicle, identified in local reports as a grey Toyota pickup driven by a 47-year-old man from Pua district, was carrying villagers from the same community who had travelled to Bo Kluea district for fishing and were returning home when the crash occurred.
Police, rescue workers and local officials sent the injured to Somdet Phra Yuppharat Pua Hospital for treatment.
Police said the pickup appeared to have lost control on the downhill bend, struck a roadside guardrail and overturned, throwing several passengers from the back.
Investigators are examining whether speed, a possible brake problem, road conditions or visibility contributed, but said the exact cause has not yet been established. - The Nation/ANN
