Thailand: Road accident leaves 25 dead

The fire, which engulfed both the vehicles after the accident, resulted in high number of causalities. Among those dead is a three-year-old boy.

Bangkok, Jan 2: At least 25 people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed on Monday when two vehicles collided and caught fire on a highway in eastern Thailand, police said.

A pick-up truck heading to Klaeng district in Rayong with 12 passengers crashed into a van coming from the opposite direction, resulting in a fire which engulfed both the vehicles in the eastern province of Chonburi, The Bangkok Post reported.

The van was carrying 15 passengers from Chanthaburi to Bangkok when the accident took place. Police said 11 people in the truck and 14 people in the van, including the three-year-old boy, died.

They said the van driver might have lost control of the vehicle, which crossed a dividing road ditch to the other side and hit the truck. The blast might have been caused by the compressed natural gas cylinder in the van, they added.

According to the World Health Organization, Thailand has the world's second most dangerous roads in 2015 in terms of per capita deaths despite relatively good infrastructure.

PTI