Udon thani: A young man driving a pickup truck lost control, crashed through a temple wall, and then abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. The incident led to significant damage to the temple property, including a reliquary containing cremated remains.

According to Thai News Agency, CCTV footage captured the pickup truck losing control and crashing onto the sidewalk before smashing through the wall of Wat Pho Si Sawang (or Wat Ban Thon) on the Udon Thani-Kud Chap road. The crash resulted in approximately 4 meters of damage to the wall and destruction of two stupas containing cremated remains. The driver fled before police arrived following the incident, which occurred around midnight.

Upon receiving the report, police from the Udon Thani City Police Station dispatched patrol officers to investigate and impounded the pickup truck. Locals who filmed parts of the incident reported the truck speeding from Udon Thani city towards Kut Chap district. Despite the drizzle and standing water on the road, the vehicle swerved, hit the opposite sidewalk, and crashed into the temple wall. The driver, a man aged approximately 30-35, was seen making a phone call before being picked up by a friend on a motorcycle.

Phra Maha Khomkrit, the deputy abbot of the temple, was informed of the accident by villagers. He contacted Police Sergeant Major Banjong Ruadrao, the head of the crime suppression unit at Muang Udon Thani Police Station, to investigate the scene. The driver, however, was not found. Phra Mahakhomkrit recalled a previous incident two years ago when a car crash damaged the same section of the temple wall, although it did not penetrate completely. He also mentioned local beliefs about a curse or a "substitute death" phenomenon due to frequent accidents in the area since a fatal incident involving a female student fifteen years ago.

Phra Maha Khomkrit urged the driver to take responsibility for the damage, which is estimated at 100,000 baht, including 64,000 baht for the damaged urns and 35,000 baht for the temple wall. Police Sergeant Major Banjong Ruadrao suggested the wet and waterlogged road contributed to the loss of control. He appealed to the vehicle's owner to compensate for the damage and noted that the driver has yet to report to the investigating officer.