Accident Minibus Crashes in Heavy Rain Leaving Eight Injured on Sukhumvit Road, Rayong

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Amarin.

 

A road crash narrowly avoided leading to a tragedy on the morning of 24 May, when a passenger minibus skidded off the road and overturned in a roadside drainage ditch amid heavy rain in Rayong province, injuring eight people.

 

The crash occurred at approximately 08:10 near the entrance to U-Tapao Airport on the inbound Sukhumvit Road in Ban Chang district. According to the Siam Rayong Foundation’s radio operations centre, a white passenger minibus operating the Chonburi–Pattaya–Sattahip–Rayong route veered off the slick road and overturned into a drainage canal roughly two metres deep.

 

Emergency services and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, where they discovered the vehicle lying on its side. All eight occupants, including the 53-year-old driver, Mr. Wichai Karamruen, were trapped inside. Four passengers, including Mr. Wichai, sustained serious injuries, while the remaining four suffered bruises and suspected fractures.

 

In a stroke of good fortune, a group of Royal Thai Navy officers happened to be passing by the scene and quickly intervened, helping to extricate the victims from the wreckage and administer first aid. They also assisted in managing traffic to prevent further incidents until official rescue personnel arrived and transported the injured to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

 

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr. Wichai explained that he had picked up passengers in Chonburi and was en route to Rayong when the crash occurred. He said torrential rain had made the road slippery, causing the vehicle to spin out of control before tumbling into the drainage ditch.

 

Ms. Narisa Suttijak, 45, one of the injured passengers, described the moment, as she was seated at the rear of the van. “The rain was heavy, and the van was going quite fast. It began swerving violently before flipping over. Everyone was screaming. We were so lucky the navy officers stopped to help us,” she said.

 

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident and have urged motorists to exercise extreme caution during adverse weather conditions.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-05-25.

 

 

 

[ikke1959]

The rain did not do anything it is the driver, probably, speeding, playing phone, or bad maintenance of the car... a bad skillsman always blames his tools....