Road accident on Laos-China route leaves 5 Thais dead

In a tragic incident yesterday, five Thai nationals died in a severe road accident in Luang Namtha province, Laos. The group was en route to China and intended to pass through Laos to catch a train.

As reported by Kanyawarat Jullasat, the deputy chief of the Chiang Khong border immigration office, the tragedy took place in the town of Boten near the Chinese border. Just after midnight, a tour group of 20 people, travelling in two minibuses, collided with a lorry on the R3A Road that connects the Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai to Boten.

Conflicting reports place the scene of the crash somewhere between the town of Boten or somewhat closer to the Thai border, with some reporting saying the road accident occurred about a hundred kilometres from the Fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge.

The group of travellers was planning to catch a train from the northern border of Laos for the onward journey to Kunming in China.

Unexpectedly, while taking a sharp turn, a lorry rammed into one of the minibuses causing heavy damage. Five Thai nationals and one Laotian driver were killed in the horrific incident. The road accident also caused three other individuals in the tour party to suffer injuries.

The five Thai nationals who tragically perished were 68 years old Nui Meechai, 66 years old Yupa Meechai, 68 years old Kanchana Ngernyen, 59 years old Khamsai Chompubai, and 68 years old Boonnam Artpakdee. All of them hailed from the Wiang Pa Pao district of Chiang Rai.

After the road accident, the injured members were promptly taken to the Chiang Khong Crown Prince Hospital by rescue teams, reported Bangkok Post.

The crash was similar to an accident last year in Laos, where three tourists from Thailand were among six people killed and 18 injured in a road accident on a road in the Savannakhet province of Laos last night. The bus driver and two tour guides also died in the crash.