Van carrying 14 passengers catches fire leaving two dead and 12 injured in Thailand
A van with 14 passengers crashed and caught fire, leaving two dead and 12 injured in Thailand.
The driver was allegedly speeding as he transported 14 Lao workers from Bangkok to Mukdahan province to renew their work permits.
He was said to have fallen asleep at the wheel before veering off the four-lane road in Roi Et province, in the early hours of August 18.
The passengers screamed as the Toyota van smashed through the guardrails and overturned on the roadside.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene, where they found the vehicle engulfed in flames at around 5:30 am local time.
Two people were killed at the scene, including one charred body recovered from the flames.
Officials said 12 injured people were rushed to Kuchinarai Crown Prince Hospital for treatment.
A Lao passenger said the group left Bangkok at 9 pm the previous night to renew their permits in Mukdahan before returning home to Laos.
During the trip, the driver was allegedly travelling too fast at around 140 kph (87 mph) with only one hand on the steering wheel.
Worried passengers had tried to ask him to slow down, but he later dozed off, causing the van to swerve out of control.
Phon Thong Police Station officers said they were investigating the exact cause of the crash and were working to identify the deceased.
Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.
However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.
