PATHUM THANI — 6 July 2026, Fourteen people, including 13 student footballers and their driver, were injured after a school van crashed into a power pole outside a school in Pathum Thani on Sunday morning.
Police said the van apparently swerved to avoid a trailer parked on the roadside before mounting the footpath and crashing into the pole. Investigators are also examining whether driver fatigue may have contributed to the crash.
The collision occurred at about 07:30 on Muang Ake Road outside the Demonstration School of Rangsit University in Lak Hok subdistrict, Mueang district. Officers from Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station, traffic police and rescue workers responded to the scene.
Authorities found the Toyota van, bearing red temporary registration plates, heavily damaged after the impact. The power pole had snapped and fallen onto the front of the vehicle.
The van was carrying 13 male students from lower and upper secondary levels at Wat Nawong School, along with the 25-year-old driver. Rescue workers provided first aid before taking eight of the injured to Krungsiam St. Carlos Hospital and the remaining six to Paolo Hospital.
According to police, the van had picked up the students from a dormitory in the Khlong Song area of Thanyaburi district. The students, all members of the school’s football programme, stay at the dormitory and are transported to school each morning.
A 16-year-old Year 10 student told police he was sitting in the front passenger seat and noticed the driver appeared drowsy, with heavy-lidded eyes, shortly before the crash.
The student said that as the van approached the parked trailer, the driver appeared startled and suddenly swerved, causing the vehicle to lose control before striking the power pole.
Police said they will continue questioning the driver to determine the exact cause of the crash, including whether fatigue played a role and whether the van was carrying more passengers than legally permitted.
