A pilgrimage tour bus carrying tourists visiting nine temples in Prachuap lost control while swerving to avoid a car cutting in front and crashed into a utility pole, injuring 19 people.
At 07:30 on 17 March 2026, Police Lieutenant Sakharat Nora, Deputy Investigator at Cha-am Police Station, Phetchaburi Province, was notified of a tour bus collision with a utility pole on the southbound Phetkasem Road at kilometer 207, near a convenience store branch at Condo Chain in Huai Sai Tai Subdistrict, Cha-am District. Many were injured. Police Chief Apirak Permchai, Cha-am District Chief Kaew Kongwong, rescue teams from Sawang Sanphet Foundation, Phetchaburi Highway Police Rescue, Cha-am Hospital ambulance, and Sawang Hua Hin Thammathat Foundation rushed to the scene.
Officials found a white, two-story VIP tour bus from Wakin Travel Company, registered in Bangkok, crashed into a large roadside utility pole that had fallen onto the bus in a roadside ditch. The bus front was severely damaged, and many passengers inside cried for help. Authorities temporarily cut the power supply to prevent hazards before urgently evacuating 19 injured individuals with head wounds and broken limbs to Cha-am and Hua Hin hospitals for emergency treatment.
Upon questioning, the bus driver, Anuchit, who suffered facial injuries from impact with the steering wheel, said he had picked up 52 passengers in total and departed from Bangkok to tour nine temples in Prachuap Province for a pilgrimage.
On the way, near the accident site, a vehicle suddenly cut sharply from the left lane into the right lane in front of the bus. To avoid collision, the driver swerved, causing the bus to lose control and crash into the utility pole, resulting in the injuries. For remaining passengers, authorities arranged for a company bus to pick them up and continue the journey.