KANCHANABURI – A pickup truck crammed with undocumented migrant workers crashed in Kanchanaburi’s Sai Yok district on Saturday morning, leaving four people dead and at least 31 others injured. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene immediately following the accident, the Bangkok Post reported.

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The incident was reported to police at approximately 9 a.m. after a Nissan pickup truck with a box container and Bangkok license plates lost control on a curve along Highway 323. The vehicle was traveling at high speed from Thong Pha Phum district toward Kanchanaburi town when the accident occurred near kilometre marker 108 in Lum Sum subdistrict. According to police, the truck’s left rear wheel detached, causing the vehicle to veer across lanes and overturn violently into a forested area beside the road.

The impact of the crash was severe, tearing off the truck’s canopy and scattering personal belongings across the site. CCTV footage from a nearby residence captured the moment of the collision and has been obtained by police as part of their investigation.

Rescue workers from the Kanchanaburi Rescue Foundation and the Pitak Karn Foundation responded promptly, finding three individuals dead at the scene and 32 others injured. The injured, comprising 22 men and 10 women, were all identified as migrant workers and were transported to Sai Yok Hospital. One male victim succumbed to his injuries en route, raising the death toll to four. Medical personnel reported that six patients suffered severe head trauma and breathing difficulties, requiring transfer to Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital in Kanchanaburi for advanced care. Authorities expressed concern that the death toll could rise further due to the critical condition of several victims.

Four migrant workers from Myanmar were killed and nine others injured when a pickup truck ploughed into a roadside ditch and overturned near the Thai-Myanmar border early this morning (Sunday). The car’s driver fled the scene.

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Witnesses reported that many of the surviving migrants fled into the nearby forest immediately after the crash. This prompted a joint search operation by police, soldiers from the Lat Ya task force, and local officials. Ten migrants were subsequently located, some with injuries, and taken to Sai Yok Hospital for treatment.

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Pol Col Natthawut Kantayot, chief of Sai Yok police, confirmed that the driver escaped in the chaos. An investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the individual, whose nationality remains unknown at this time.

-Thailand News (TN)