Prachuap Khiri Khan: A van traveling from a boat racing festival in Nakhon Phanom Province experienced a tire blowout, resulting in a loss of control and a collision with a tree, leaving one passenger dead and eight others injured.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. yesterday in the Sala Lai Subdistrict of Sam Roi Yot District. The Sawang Methee Thammasathan Foundation Rescue Unit in Sam Roi Yot was alerted by a citizen about the accident involving a personal van. The van’s rear tire burst, causing it to veer off the road and hit a tree. Rescue units and police were dispatched to the scene promptly.
Upon arrival, authorities discovered a Toyota van overturned in a roadside ditch next to a large tree, with multiple passengers injured and others trapped inside. Rescue teams employed cutting tools to access the van’s interior, hindered by bags of clothing blocking entry. It took over thirty minutes to clear the obstructions, cut the seats, and extricate the injured passengers
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The passengers, all women aged between 60 and 70, sustained various injuries, predominantly broken arms and legs. Three male occupants, including the driver and a passenger seated behind him, were unharmed. Another passenger seated next to the driver suffered a knee injury. Tragically, one of the eight injured passengers later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
The driver recounted that the van was transporting a group of 10 tourists returning from the Loi Krathong festival in Nakhon Phanom Province, intending to stay overnight in Prachuap Province. The accident transpired when the van’s rear tire exploded, leading to a loss of control and the eventual crash into a tree.