Two killed in oil tanker-pickup crash in Buri Ram
An oil tanker crashed into a pickup truck in the opposite lane on a Buri Ram road early on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring seven.
Police said the accident, which happened at 5:30am on the Buri Ram-Nang Rong road in Ban Khok Mai Daeng village in Tambon Ban Bua in Muang district, caused both vehicles to catch fire.
Ten fire engines were deployed to control the blaze in the oil tanker, which flipped and fell into the side of the road.
The oil tanker driver, Adu Srinaowarat, 45, was slightly injured and managed to escape before the fire took hold.
The pickup truck driver, Chalerm Phanasan, 36, died at the scene and a woman, who was severely burnt, died in hospital. A three-year-old boy was also severely injured by the fire. Five other passengers were injured in the crash but not burnt, police said.
A passenger, Pithak Klungthong, 20, who was slightly injured, told police that Chalerm was taking relatives from Amnart Charoen on a vacation in Rayong.
Pithak said he saw the that the oil tanker swerve to avoid a homeless man, who was walking on the roadside, and the tanker lost control and crashed into the pickup.