Four teenage boys were killed and two people injured after a pickup truck collided with a motorcycle on the Loei–Chiang Khan road during the Songkran holiday period, police said.
The crash occurred around 23:00 on 13 April at a curve in Ban Na Bon, Nasaow subdistrict, Chiang Khan district, Loei province, according to Chiang Khan police.
Initial investigations found that the motorcycle was carrying four boys travelling from Chiang Khan district towards Ban Tha Bom in Khao Kaew subdistrict. The victims were youth football players aged between 13 and 14.
At the same time, a pickup truck carrying two people, including the driver, was travelling from Mueang Loei towards Chiang Khan when the two vehicles collided with severe impact on the curve.
Police said the force of the crash caused the pickup truck to drag the motorcycle for approximately 200 metres along the road. The motorcycle subsequently caught fire, while all four boys were thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.
The pickup truck driver and passenger were injured and were taken to Chiang Khan Hospital and Loei Hospital for treatment.
The victims were later identified as students of Maha Thai Sueksa Thambon School in Chiang Khan. The school posted messages of mourning on social media, expressing condolences to the families of the four boys, identified as “August,” “Ice,” “DR,” and “Satang,” and describing them as beloved students and young athletes.
The Football Association of Thailand also issued a statement expressing deep condolences over the deaths of the four youth footballers, extending sympathy to their families, teachers, and school administrators during the period of mourning.