Nine students died and two others were clinging to life in hospital after their pickup truck crashed off the road into a tree in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district on Tuesday evening.
The hired pickup was taking 11 students from Narasikkhalai and Bang Narawitthaya schools to their homes when it veered off the road and ran into a tree at Sapom village in tambon Paiwan, said Pol Lt Sujin Srithong, duty officer at Tak Bai police station. Police learned of the accident about 5pm on Tuesday.
The force of the impact threw the students from the vehicle. Three people died on the spot, two students and the driver. The nine other students were all seriously injured and rushed to a nearby hospital, where seven later died, police said
The 10 fatally injured people were the driver Kowit Jaihao and seven girls and two boys. Two seriously injured girl students were reportedly still alive in hospital.
Police said the driver had been hired by students' parents to provide a shuttle service to and from the two schools during weekdays. They said Kowit might have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to leave the road and hit the tree.
Pol Col Jeeradet Prasawang, chief of Tak Bai police, said on Wednesday that forensic police were examining the pickup truck to see whether it had developed a mechanical problem that could have led to the accident.
The two injured girls -- Napassorn Ninnoi and Janya Ramkaew -- of Bang Narawitthaya School, remained in critical condition and under close medical care.
Residents gather to look at the wreckage of the pickup truck that hit a roadside tree, killing 10 people, including 9 students, and seriously injuring two other students, in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district on Tuesday evening. (Photo by Waedao Harai)