Southern Thailand calamity: Lorry crash kills retired school director, triggers village blackout

A lorry plunged into a house and hit a retired school director who was out for a walk, causing fatal injuries, in a village in southern Thailand. The mishap also caused damage to a residence and a high-voltage power pole and left three motorcycles damaged.

Lieutenant Bundit Prasert, deputy investigator of Betong Police Station, today rushed to the scene at Laohu village, Tano Maero district, Yala province, following a report of a six-wheel lorry ramming into a pedestrian and further causing wreckage to a civilian residence. Kanop Chaona, head of the Betong Guan Ain Methatham Foundation, and volunteers from Betong Sawang Dharmasthana Rescue Assistant accompanied him.

Upon arrival at the disastrous scene, they discovered a white Isuzu six-wheel lorry with plate number 80 -7511 Yala parked in front of a house situated where the collision occurred. The impact had also wrecked a high-voltage electricity pole, leaving cables swinging hazardously above the road. To ensure a safe emergency response, the police coordinated with the local electricity authority to cut off the supply, reported KhaoSod.

The ghastly sight of the body of 69 year old Anuphan (surname withheld), a former director of Na Khoi community school, was found at the location. Three motorcycles, owned by villagers for transportation to their durian orchards, were knocked over and badly damaged. Furthermore, a concrete kilometre marker near the accident scene was also affected.

The lorry driver, 49 year old Wanchat (surname withheld), was present at the scene, showing minor injuries and signs of shock. He stated to the police revealing that he fell asleep while driving the vehicle from a flower nursery in Betong, and as a result, lost control and struck the pedestrian causing his unfortunate demise at the scene. He expressed profound grief over the accident.

Additionally, the volunteers from Betong Sawang Dharmasthana Rescue transported the deceased’s body to Betong Hospital for a further autopsy and intended to question the truck driver at Betong police station later.