An accident in Phrae province involved a trailer truck losing control on a curve descending Phlueng Hill in Huai Rai district. The container detached and struck a senior footballers' car, which veered off the road, resulting in 2 deaths and 2 injuries.
At 1:00 p.m. on 19 September 2026, reporters reported that an accident occurred near the Huai Rai checkpoint curve, Moo 2, Huai Rai subdistrict, Den Chai district, Phrae. A trailer truck registered in Chiang Rai, carrying a container, was traveling from Uttaradit toward Den Chai. At the downhill curve, the truck lost control, causing the container to detach and swing across lanes to the downhill side. At that moment, a white Honda CR-V registered in Nan, carrying four passengers and traveling from Den Chai toward Uttaradit, passed by and was struck violently by the container. The impact caused the car to veer off the road and crash into the roadside.
After the accident, Lieutenant Banjon Saengkan, the duty officer of Den Chai Police Station’s Huai Rai patrol, along with rescue workers from Den Chai Ruam Boon Rescue Association and medical staff, quickly arrived to assist the victims.
At the scene on the downhill side of the road, a large container was found lying close to the left roadside. Nearby was the white Honda CR-V registered in Nan, severely damaged and thrown over a concrete barrier into the roadside grass. Inside the wreckage were four injured elderly men trapped. Rescue workers urgently used hydraulic cutters to free them and rushed them to Somdej Phra Yuparaj Den Chai Hospital. Among them, two were unconscious and in critical condition.
Later reports confirmed that two critically injured victims died. They were identified as Mr. Decha Phoppichakul, 70, from Nai Wiang subdistrict, Mueang Nan district, Nan province, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Nathep Phat Amornhirunpong, 70, from Huai O subdistrict, Long district, Phrae province, a former police officer.
The two other injured victims were identified as Mr. Somchai Sitthiwong, 73, from Klang Wiang subdistrict, Wiang Sa district, Nan province, former principal of Srisawat Wittayakarn School, Nan, and Mr. Surasit Somyot, 70, from Nai Wiang subdistrict, Mueang Nan district, Nan province, former deputy director of the Primary Educational Service Area Office 1.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the trailer truck was fully loaded with mangosteens, heading to Chiang Rai. While descending Phlueng Hill at the accident site, a curve, the truck lost control and crashed into the median barrier. The truck’s cab and trailer flipped and rested on the median. The momentum caused the container to detach and fly more than 100 meters across lanes, striking the Honda CR-V of the senior football team traveling in the opposite direction, causing the car to be thrown off the road as described.
All injured and deceased were former civil servants and senior football players traveling to compete in a senior sports event in Phitsanulok province, with a football match scheduled for 8:00 a.m. the next day. After learning about the deaths of team members, the Upper Northern senior football team decided to withdraw from the match due to the loss and emotional impact on the team.
The atmosphere at Somdej Phra Yuparaj Den Chai Hospital was somber, with relatives of the deceased grieving deeply due to the sudden loss of loved ones, while relatives of the injured closely monitored their condition.
Police have detained the truck driver, Mr. Prate Manokham, 38, who was traveling from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Chiang Khong district, Chiang Rai province, for detailed investigation into the cause of the accident and will proceed with legal actions accordingly.
Authorities will inspect the truck’s condition, container securing system, and examine evidence at the scene to determine the true cause of the lane crossing and assign responsibility for the incident.