Three Myanmar nationals killed, 15 hurt in pickup crash as driver tries to outrun police
Three Myanmar migrants were killed on the spot and 15 injured when their pickup truck overturned while trying to escape highway police on Asia Road at the Sing Buri-Ayutthaya border on Wednesday.
Highway Police Senior Sgt-Major Chaiwichit Saensub said he signalled the suspected vehicle to stop at a Sing Buri border checkpoint but the driver drove past him at high speed.
Chaiwichit soon followed the grey Toyota Vigo pickup into Ayutthaya, where it overturned near Khlong Ban Na Village in Maharat district. Several passengers were thrown overboard in the crash.
Three male passengers were killed by the impact, while 15 others were injured, 11 of whom were taken to Maharat Hospital and four to Ang Thong Hospital.
All the passengers are Myanmar nationals.
The truck was severely damaged but there was no sign of the driver. Police speculated he might have escaped after the accident.
One of the injured migrants reportedly said the truck belonged to a gang that had been smuggling migrant workers from Myanmar into Thailand.
Police are collecting evidence to track down the driver and the gang behind the operation.