Two students died and 13 other people were injured after a truck ploughed into a checkpoint in the southern province of Songkhla.
Wissanu Tongsai, the 35 year old son of a former politician, has been charged with reckless driving and illicit drug use after he struck a group of students in the district of Sadao on Wednesday, February 21.
The director of Ban Phru Tiao School, Muhammad Senmuli, says the students had just finished their annual scout hike and were resting at a checkpoint about 500 metres from the school.
It’s understood there were around 20 people, both students and teachers, at the checkpoint when Wissanu’s pickup truck crashed into it. Muhammad says the truck first ploughed into a road barrier at high speed, which sent it over a drainage ditch and into the checkpoint.
Two students, named as Assananee Langputay and Suriya Jantra, died at the scene. Thirteen other people were injured, including a teacher named as Patcharee Intalay. Six people are understood to be in critical condition.
Eight students and teachers are being treated at Hat Yai Hospital, 2 others are at Sadao Hospital, and 3 have been discharged. Muhammed has confirmed the school will pay 10,000 baht to each deceased student’s family. The families of those injured will receive 5,000 baht.
According to a Bangkok Post report, Wissanu told police that a motorbike had cut in front of him, causing him to lose control of his vehicle. However, police didn’t believe his version of events and carried out a drugs test, which came back positive for amphetamines. He is the son of a former member of the Samnak Kham Municipal Council.
SOURCE: The Bangkok Post
