CHONBURI – A fatal collision between two university buses on the Chonburi motorway has left one driver dead and forty-one students injured. The accident occurred on the evening of October 31, 2025, near the Bang Phra toll gate, involving buses transporting a total of seventy Burapha University students returning from a field trip in Rayong Province.

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Emergency responders from the Trai Khunatham Foundation arrived at the scene shortly after the crash was reported at approximately 6:30 p.m. They found both vehicles with significant damage. The impact resulted in injuries to forty-one students, comprising thirty-six females and five males, all of whom were transported to Chonburi Hospital for treatment of wounds ranging from minor to more serious.

Tragedy struck the driver of the rear bus, 55-year-old Suchart Kongmuang, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Rescue workers discovered him trapped in the driver’s seat, pinned against the steering wheel. Despite their efforts to free him using hydraulic cutting equipment and the immediate administration of first aid, he could not be saved.

The driver of the lead bus, Sontaya Phutthapoom, provided a preliminary account of the incident to investigators. He stated that both vehicles were carrying students back to the university campus when he slowed to a stop to pay the toll. At that moment, he reportedly received a radio transmission from the second driver urgently stating that his brakes had failed. Immediately after the communication, the following bus collided with the rear of the stationary vehicle.

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Authorities from the motorway police division have launched a full investigation into the cause of the crash. They are reviewing CCTV footage from the toll plaza to corroborate the sequence of events and are planning to re-interview witnesses. A forensic inspection of both buses, with particular focus on the braking system of the second vehicle, will be conducted to determine if mechanical failure or negligence was a contributing factor. University officials have been notified and are coordinating care for the injured students.

-Thailand News (TN)