Four Killed in Nakhon Sawan Pilgrimage Van Crash
In a tragic incident on Wednesday morning, four people, including a Buddhist monk, were killed and five others injured when a passenger van, carrying pilgrims, rear-ended a trailer truck in Tha Tako district, Nakhon Sawan.
The crash took place near kilometre marker 84+801 on Highway 11 at Ban Khok Kwai Yai, in tambon Donkha.
According to Pol Lt Col Phisol Phasuk, a duty officer, the authorities were alerted to the accident around 7 AM. Police and rescue teams were promptly dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, they found an 18-wheel trailer truck, registered in Nakhon Sawan, parked by the roadside with rear-end damage. Nearby, a passenger van with Bangkok license plates was found severely damaged, its roof torn off and lying on the road.
Four individuals were confirmed dead at the scene—two men and two women, one of whom was a Buddhist monk. The five other passengers were injured and rushed to the hospital.
The driver of the trailer truck, identified as Ror Changniam, was waiting at the scene. He explained to officers that he had been on his way to pick up a load of sugarcane in Nong Bua district when he slowed down to park by the roadside. He then heard a loud crash and discovered the wrecked van, with some people trapped inside. He immediately went to assist and reported seeing a monk and the van’s driver among the injured. The monk told him that the driver appeared to have been sleepy before the crash.
Pol Lt Col Phisol revealed that the van was carrying monks and lay followers from Wat Phra Dhammakaya on a pilgrimage to a temple branch in Phichit province. Initial investigations suggest the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The police are continuing their investigation into the cause of the accident.
