Nine Killed as Family Pickup Plunges Off Mountain Road in Nan
NAN — Nine people were killed and five others injured when a pickup truck carrying 21 relatives home from a fishing trip crashed off a steep mountain road in Pua district, in one of the deadliest road accidents in northern Thailand this year.
The crash occurred near kilometre marker 8+700 on the Pua–Doi Phu Kha highway in tambon Sila Laeng at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, according to Police Colonel Boonsong Nikornthuan, chief of Pua police station. The Toyota Hilux Revo was travelling downhill when it struck a guard rail and then ran off the road at a section known locally as the “Huai Yen Curve,” a notorious accident black spot.
The pickup, driven by 47-year-old Ichalet Yodon, was carrying 21 people, all relatives from Baan June Moo 4 village in tambon Pa Klang of Pua district. They were returning home after a day’s fishing in Bo Kluea district, a journey that should have been a happy family outing but instead ended in unthinkable tragedy. The vehicle was heavily overloaded, with passengers packed into both the cabin and the open rear tray, a common but highly dangerous practice in rural Thailand where public transport options are often limited.
Five passengers riding in the open rear tray died instantly at the scene of the crash. Six others were injured and rushed to hospital, but three were declared dead on arrival at the local medical facility. A ninth victim succumbed to injuries on Sunday, raising the death toll to nine. Among the dead were four students aged between eight and 15, children whose lives were cut short on what should have been a carefree day by the water.
The deceased have been identified as five women and four men: Sri Phanason, 56; Son Phanason, 56; Chaliao Phanason, 56; Nanticha Phanason, 15; Worawatch Phanason, 11; Woranya Phanason, 10; Naphat Chaiya, 8; Lord Phanason, 56; and Khomkhai Phanason, 53. All were riding on the back of the truck, exposed and unprotected when the vehicle left the road. The ages of the victims tell a story of a family gathering spanning generations, from an eight-year-old child to grandparents in their fifties, now all gone.
Local residents said the Huai Yen Curve is a well-known accident black spot, with frequent crashes involving both local motorists and tourists unfamiliar with the road’s dangers. The area is part of a prolonged downhill section near the end of the descent before vehicles reach flatter terrain, a stretch that can cause brake systems to overheat and fail. For drivers descending with a heavily loaded vehicle, the risk is magnified many times over. Some vehicles experience reduced braking efficiency or complete brake failure, residents said, leaving drivers with no way to control their speed as they hurtle toward the curve.
Two Teens Killed in Fall From Pickup Truck While Returning From Songkran Celebrations in Uthai Thani
Police are continuing their investigation into the exact cause of the crash, but the broad outlines are tragically familiar: too many people, too few restraints, a steep downhill road, and a curve that has claimed lives before. The families of the nine victims are left to mourn, while the survivors—including the driver, who must live with the knowledge that 21 people entrusted him with their lives—face a long and painful recovery. For the village of Baan June Moo 4, the loss is almost incomprehensible: nine of their own, including four children, gone in an instant on a mountain road that has once again proven deadly.
-Thailand News (TN)
