Dozen Vietnamese people killed in road accident in Thai Northeast

CHAIYAPHUM, THAILAND, June 2 (TNA) - Thirteen people, a Thai driver and 12 Vietnamese nationals, were killed on Monday morning, when a passenger van crashed head on with an 18-wheel trailer truck in Chaiyaphum Province in the Thai Northeast, causing a heavy fire engulfing the vehicle. According to local police, the fatal accident took place at around 5:30am on a two-way road in Chaiyaphum's Kaeng Khro District, while the chartered van, carrying Vietnamese passengers from Bangkok en route to the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu for a church activity, hurtled into the 18-wheel truck and burst into flames, killing the victims on the spot. The police said eight men, including the driver, and five women were burned to death, while a few others were injured and remained hospitalized, including the truck driver. The police assumed that the van driver dozed off while driving, as his vehicle drifted out of its lane. (TNA)