Two Indian tourists were killed and five other people - four Indian nationals and a Thai driver - sustained severe injuries when a van they were travelling in rammed into the rear of a truck in Tha Sae district of Chumphon in the early hours of Saturday.
The crash occurred at kilometre marker 476+100 on the Bangkok-bound Phetkasem Road in tambon Na Kratai,said Pol Capt Theeraporn Khongnuan, deputy investigation chief at Tha Sae station. Police received the report of the incident 1am.
Police, medics and rescue workers rushed to the scene and found a 10-wheel truck with Nakhon Pathom licence plates parked at a U-turn. The collision caused slight damage to the vehicle's left side.
Truck driver Kraisorn Klinsawang, 32, of Prachuap Khiri Khan, waited for police at the scene.
About 150 metres away from the incident, a badly-damaged Toyota van with Phuket licence plates had overturned in a roadside ditch. Four Indian passengers and a 50-year-old Thai man sustained serious injuries. The Thai man was identified only as Nirot, the van driver. All were taken to two nearby hospitals.
Two other male passengers were found dead and trapped in the wreckage. Rescue workers had to use a cutting tool to extract their bodies. The deceased passengers were identified as Indian tourists, aged 25 and 28.
A preliminary investigation showed that the van was transporting 10 foreign passengers from Hat Yai district in Songkhla to Bangkok. Upon reaching the scene, the 10-wheeler moved to the right lane to make a U-turn, resulting in the van rear-ending it. The impact caused the van driver to lose control, and the vehicle overturned and plunged into the roadside ditch.
Police were investigating to find the exact cause of the crash. They plan to question the van driver, the injured passengers and the truck driver.