Five members of a family were killed when a pick-up truck they were traveling in skidded off Highway 41 and rammed into a tree in Chumphon's Sawi district on Monday morning.

Pol Lt-Col Sayan Chantaramat, the duty officer at Sawi police station, said the accident took place in front of Wat Phraboromthat Sawi between kilometre markers 35 and 36 on Highway 41 in tambon Sawi.

Killed were Somkiat Sangthong, 36, the driver, his wife Sunitta Mekkaew, 33, their son Ariya, 16, daughter Soraya, 8, and Somkiat's mother Mrs Saeng, about 70. All are natives of Pak Phanang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

The family was on the way from Bangkok to their home in Nakhon Si Thammarat for merit-making in the 10th month religious festival.