Pictures courtesy of Daily News

Two people were killed and 12 others injured after a chartered passenger van crashed on a notorious bend in Wang Nam Khiao district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The vehicle left the road and overturned on Route 304, causing multiple casualties at the scene and prompting an emergency response.

The crash occurred on 5 January on the Ratchasima–Kabin Buri Road at the forestry curve, inbound to Nakhon Ratchasima, in front of the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Udom Sap sub-district. A white passenger van was found overturned and badly damaged beside the road, with two female passengers pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency teams provided urgent first aid before transporting the injured to Wang Nam Khiao Hospital and nearby medical facilities.

Police said the van was a chartered vehicle carrying a total of 14 passengers from Chon Buri province who were travelling to Nakhon Ratchasima for tourism during the New Year festival. The stretch of road where the crash occurred is a downhill section with a sharp curve, long regarded as a high-risk area for traffic accidents. The severity of the crash reflected the challenging road conditions combined with driver fatigue.

Pol Colonel Sommai Phisutsethseri, superintendent of Udom Sap Police Station, said preliminary investigations indicated the driver became exhausted and fell asleep at the wheel. He explained that the long-distance journey during the busy holiday period likely contributed to the loss of control, causing the van to veer off the bend and plunge down the roadside before overturning. Rescue volunteers from Hook 31 units in Wang Nam Khiao and Pak Thong Chai assisted police at the scene.

Authorities have stressed the importance of road safety, particularly for commercial and chartered transport operating during peak travel seasons. The incident has renewed concerns about driver fatigue, vehicle safety standards and the risks posed by mountainous routes such as Route 304. Local emergency services were placed under pressure as they managed multiple casualties and coordinated hospital transfers.

Daily News reported that police have confirmed that further investigations are under way to establish the definitive cause of the crash. Officers will examine the condition of the vehicle, review physical evidence from the scene and interview witnesses to support the final findings. Any additional safety or legal measures will be considered once the investigation is complete.

Key Takeaways

• A chartered van crashed on Route 304 in Wang Nam Khiao on 5 January, killing two passengers and injuring 12 others.

• Police believe driver fatigue and falling asleep at the wheel were the primary causes of the crash.

• Authorities are continuing a full investigation into the vehicle, evidence and circumstances of the crash.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now from Dailynews 2026-01-06

 

 

I drove down this downhill stretch of 304 last Thursday (01/01) and back up on the 5th and have seen the accident and all the incoming emergency vehicles.

There is a REASON why this stretch of the road is marked with speed 60 every few hundred meters... it IS a dangerous road with lot of narrow curves. I was driving down with speed between 70 and 80, and I was by far the slowest car on the whole downhill section. Such an accident was bound to happen, given how much drivers in Thailand, specially the passenger can drivers, follow traffic rules...

It's curvy and moderately steep.

But the road is in excellent condition, four to six lanes divided and warning/speed signs, flashing lights etc.

I don't call it particularly dangerous.

X times driven since 20 years even on holiday visits. And in the early times it was two lanes undivided on long stretches.

But what you can you do if the driver is exhausted and falling asleep as supposed?

On 1/6/2026 at 3:50 AM, Georgealbert said:

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

Two people were killed and 12 others injured after a chartered passenger van crashed on a notorious bend in Wang Nam Khiao district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The vehicle left the road and overturned on Route 304, causing multiple casualties at the scene and prompting an emergency response.

The crash occurred on 5 January on the Ratchasima–Kabin Buri Road at the forestry curve, inbound to Nakhon Ratchasima, in front of the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Udom Sap sub-district. A white passenger van was found overturned and badly damaged beside the road, with two female passengers pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency teams provided urgent first aid before transporting the injured to Wang Nam Khiao Hospital and nearby medical facilities.

Police said the van was a chartered vehicle carrying a total of 14 passengers from Chon Buri province who were travelling to Nakhon Ratchasima for tourism during the New Year festival. The stretch of road where the crash occurred is a downhill section with a sharp curve, long regarded as a high-risk area for traffic accidents. The severity of the crash reflected the challenging road conditions combined with driver fatigue.

Pol Colonel Sommai Phisutsethseri, superintendent of Udom Sap Police Station, said preliminary investigations indicated the driver became exhausted and fell asleep at the wheel. He explained that the long-distance journey during the busy holiday period likely contributed to the loss of control, causing the van to veer off the bend and plunge down the roadside before overturning. Rescue volunteers from Hook 31 units in Wang Nam Khiao and Pak Thong Chai assisted police at the scene.

Authorities have stressed the importance of road safety, particularly for commercial and chartered transport operating during peak travel seasons. The incident has renewed concerns about driver fatigue, vehicle safety standards and the risks posed by mountainous routes such as Route 304. Local emergency services were placed under pressure as they managed multiple casualties and coordinated hospital transfers.

Daily News reported that police have confirmed that further investigations are under way to establish the definitive cause of the crash. Officers will examine the condition of the vehicle, review physical evidence from the scene and interview witnesses to support the final findings. Any additional safety or legal measures will be considered once the investigation is complete.

Key Takeaways

• A chartered van crashed on Route 304 in Wang Nam Khiao on 5 January, killing two passengers and injuring 12 others.

• Police believe driver fatigue and falling asleep at the wheel were the primary causes of the crash.

• Authorities are continuing a full investigation into the vehicle, evidence and circumstances of the crash.

Related Stories

School-transport-truck-overturns-in-Roi-Et-injuring-students

University-lecturer-killed-in-head-on-crash-in-Roi-Et

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Dailynews 2026-01-06

 

 

seat belts

On 1/6/2026 at 3:50 AM, Georgealbert said:

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

Two people were killed and 12 others injured after a chartered passenger van crashed on a notorious bend in Wang Nam Khiao district, Nakhon Ratchasima province. The vehicle left the road and overturned on Route 304, causing multiple casualties at the scene and prompting an emergency response.

The crash occurred on 5 January on the Ratchasima–Kabin Buri Road at the forestry curve, inbound to Nakhon Ratchasima, in front of the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Udom Sap sub-district. A white passenger van was found overturned and badly damaged beside the road, with two female passengers pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency teams provided urgent first aid before transporting the injured to Wang Nam Khiao Hospital and nearby medical facilities.

Police said the van was a chartered vehicle carrying a total of 14 passengers from Chon Buri province who were travelling to Nakhon Ratchasima for tourism during the New Year festival. The stretch of road where the crash occurred is a downhill section with a sharp curve, long regarded as a high-risk area for traffic accidents. The severity of the crash reflected the challenging road conditions combined with driver fatigue.

Pol Colonel Sommai Phisutsethseri, superintendent of Udom Sap Police Station, said preliminary investigations indicated the driver became exhausted and fell asleep at the wheel. He explained that the long-distance journey during the busy holiday period likely contributed to the loss of control, causing the van to veer off the bend and plunge down the roadside before overturning. Rescue volunteers from Hook 31 units in Wang Nam Khiao and Pak Thong Chai assisted police at the scene.

Authorities have stressed the importance of road safety, particularly for commercial and chartered transport operating during peak travel seasons. The incident has renewed concerns about driver fatigue, vehicle safety standards and the risks posed by mountainous routes such as Route 304. Local emergency services were placed under pressure as they managed multiple casualties and coordinated hospital transfers.

Daily News reported that police have confirmed that further investigations are under way to establish the definitive cause of the crash. Officers will examine the condition of the vehicle, review physical evidence from the scene and interview witnesses to support the final findings. Any additional safety or legal measures will be considered once the investigation is complete.

Key Takeaways

• A chartered van crashed on Route 304 in Wang Nam Khiao on 5 January, killing two passengers and injuring 12 others.

• Police believe driver fatigue and falling asleep at the wheel were the primary causes of the crash.

• Authorities are continuing a full investigation into the vehicle, evidence and circumstances of the crash.

Related Stories

School-transport-truck-overturns-in-Roi-Et-injuring-students

University-lecturer-killed-in-head-on-crash-in-Roi-Et

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Dailynews 2026-01-06

 

 

seat belts

I guess “falling asleep” makes a change from “brake failure”

RIP to the deceased, how awful.

The stretch of road where the crash occurred is a downhill section with a sharp curve, long regarded as a high-risk area for traffic accidents. The severity of the crash reflected the challenging road conditions combined with driver fatigue.

Maybe some speed control measures are needed.. rumbles strips, humps in the road... something ?