KAMPHAENG PHET – Police report a Toyota van carrying migrant workers crashed into a tree on the side of Phahonyothin Road in Khlong Khlung, Kamphaeng Phet, early this morning. The accident left all ten people in the vehicle injured, with one person seriously hurt.
Thankfully, a two-month-old baby travelling with her mother was unharmed.
Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene shortly after 7 am. They found a white Toyota van with Bangkok plates, its front left side crushed against a large teak tree. A Burmese woman was trapped in the passenger seat.
Rescue volunteers worked quickly to get everyone out safely, using special equipment to free the injured from the wreck.
All passengers were taken to Khlong Khlung Hospital for treatment. The baby girl was with her mother and showed no signs of injury. Even while waiting for help, the mother calmly fed her daughter, who remained quiet and did not appear distressed.
The 49-year-old driver, Mr. Samran from Khon Kaen, told police he had driven overnight for two days in a row, picking up workers with legal permits from Chon Buri, Rayong and Bangkok to take them to Mae Sot on the Thai-Myanmar border.
He said fatigue caught up with him and he dozed off at the wheel, causing the Toyota van to veer off the road and hit the tree.
One of the passengers, who could speak Thai, explained that they were travelling home to Myanmar from Chon Buri. She noticed the driver was nodding off before the crash, and moments later, the van left the road.
Police asked rescue volunteers to take the driver for drug testing. All passengers with minor injuries were brought to Khlong Khlung police station to check their documents and confirm their legal status as claimed by the driver.
