Roi et: A passenger van overturned and caught fire completely near Ban Khok Lam, Nong Yai Subdistrict, Phon Thong District, Roi Et Province. Two Lao passengers died and 12 were injured.
According to Thai News Agency, this incident occurred at approximately 5:20 AM today in Ban Khok Lam, Moo 10, Nong Yai Subdistrict, Phon Thong District, Roi Et Province, near the border with Ban Khuy, Kuchinarai District, Kalasin Province. Police and relevant agencies, along with fire trucks and rescue teams, responded urgently to the scene to control the situation and provide assistance.
Initial reports indicate that the vehicle was a Bangkok-registered passenger van carrying 14 people, including the driver, all Lao nationals. They were traveling from Bangkok to Mukdahan province to renew their licenses and return to Laos, departing around 9 PM the previous night. Upon reaching the accident site in the early morning hours, the van veered off the road and burst into flames, completely destroying it. Two people died, a 30-year-old woman and a 60-year-old woman, and 12 were injured.
A passenger from Laos who was injured recounted that during the journey, two young passengers, a boy and a girl, who were sitting in the front seat behind the driver, turned to him and asked him to warn the driver because they felt the bus was going too fast. He then asked the driver to slow down, and initially, the driver did, but after a while, he resumed driving at high speed.
Furthermore, I clearly noticed unusual behavior from the driver. He was constantly drowsy, nodding off while driving. What was alarming was that he was only holding the steering wheel with one hand, the other not touching anything. Even though they had stopped for a short break earlier, the driver hadn't gotten enough rest. By the time they reached the accident site, I was about to warn him about the speeding again, but it was too late; the car had already veered off the road and crashed.
However, police officers from Phon Thong Police Station are currently conducting a thorough investigation at the scene to determine the cause.