An accident occurred when a pickup truck carrying Myanmar workers, heading to Phetchabun for a trip, lost its way before plunging into Rangsit-Prayurasak Canal No. 13. Seven survivors were found, while six died.
At 23:00 on 30 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Police Lieutenant Colonel Phutthapong Yokchom, deputy investigator at Thanyaburi Police Station, received a report from a good Samaritan that a pickup truck had plunged into Rangsit-Prayurasak Canal (Canal 13), Moo 5, Bueng Nam Rak Subdistrict, Thanyaburi District, Pathum Thani Province. It was suspected there were multiple fatalities. Upon notification, he immediately went to the scene with Police Colonel Charin Athipthanon, chief of Thanyaburi Police Station, traffic police, and volunteers from Poh Teck Tung Foundation equipped for water rescue to inspect the site.
At the scene, seven foreign workers were found with wet clothes after swimming to shore to escape. Most suffered only minor injuries, with two seriously injured who were taken to Lam Luk Ka Hospital by rescue personnel.
Additionally, a pickup truck of unknown make and registration was submerged in the canal. Survivors told authorities that six other workers—four men and two women—along with the driver remained underwater and had not surfaced. Divers began searching but faced difficulties due to strong currents near the water control gates at the site. Rescue divers from Poh Teck Tung Foundation proceeded with expertise and caution. Initially, three bodies were recovered: two men and one woman.
Volunteer rescuer Suchart from Ruamkatanyu Foundation, Ongkharak District, reported that the accident site lies on the border between Pathum Thani and Nakhon Nayok provinces. He was alerted by locals drinking by the canal that a pickup truck had fallen into the irrigation canal. He quickly came to the scene and learned the victims were Myanmar workers traveling from Chonburi to Phetchabun. The cause of the accident was unknown at the time. He then notified police and coordinated local rescue teams for assistance.
Police are interviewing survivors with the help of interpreters. All reported traveling from Chonburi intending to visit Wat Pha Sorn Kaew in Phetchabun. The driver was a Myanmar national driving a black four-door pickup truck of unknown make and registration. They departed around 8 p.m. but lost their way while the driver followed GPS directions. Upon reaching the accident site, the vehicle plunged into the canal. Seven passengers in the truck bed swam to safety, while six inside the vehicle, including the driver, are presumed trapped and deceased.
Police will continue investigating to determine the exact cause. The bodies recovered have been handed to the foundation for autopsy to establish the detailed cause of death.