A tragic accident occurred when a pickup truck carrying relatives home from durian harvesting sped through heavy rain, lost control, spun, and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle on the Khao Pip-Khao Thalu road in Chumphon Province, killing six people, including a 2-year-old girl.
At 12:30 GMT+7 on 23 May 2026, Police Lieutenant Sanon Sitthidamrong, deputy investigator at Nasak Police Station in Sawi District, Chumphon Province, received a report of a multiple-fatality car collision with injured occupants trapped inside on the Khao Pip-Khao Thalu road, Moo 13, Nasak Subdistrict, Sawi District, Chumphon. He notified his superiors before proceeding to the scene with rescue teams from Saichon Rescue Foundation, Chumphon Charity Foundation in Khao Thalu and Sawi areas, and the Phutthaprateep Rescue Association of Lang Suan.
At the scene, rescuers found a bronze gray Isuzu single-cab pickup truck with Bangkok license plates, badly damaged especially on the front left. Vehicle debris was scattered across the left lane facing outbound towards Khao Pip. Inside were two seriously injured people: 22-year-old Yosawat Rodboonma from Hat Yai Subdistrict, Lang Suan District, the driver, and his 24-year-old wife Pimkanok Ruangkhong from the same area. Rescue workers used hydraulic cutters to extract them from the wreckage.
Nearby, another injured person was found: 18-year-old Somphongsak Ondee from Bang Maprao Subdistrict, Lang Suan District. He was urgently transported to Sawi Hospital. Additionally, four deceased passengers from the pickup truck were found scattered around the crash site.
The deceased were later identified as 1. 23-year-old Sumintra Ruangkhong from Khao Khai Subdistrict, Sawi District; 2. 2-year-old Nalinipha Rodboonma, daughter of the driver Yosawat; 3. 18-year-old Papawarin Nungtang from Khao Khai Subdistrict, Sawi District; and 4. 22-year-old Natthachai Rodboonma from Tha Mapla Subdistrict, Lang Suan District. All suffered broken bones and neck fractures.
The other vehicle involved was a green Mitsubishi half-cab pickup truck with Chumphon plates, found overturned in a roadside ditch on the inbound side towards Khao Thalu. The front of this truck was equally mangled. Inside, two deceased occupants were trapped: 65-year-old driver Banjong Yunnan and 60-year-old Jirawan Yunnan, both from Chong Mai Kaeo Subdistrict, Thung Tako District, Chumphon. Rescue teams used hydraulic cutters to remove their bodies and transport them to Sawi Hospital. In total, six people died and three were injured in the crash.
Interviewed at the scene, 43-year-old Pha Saenmuen from Khao Khai Subdistrict, Sawi District, who was driving behind the green pickup with his father, said that as they approached the Khao Pip intersection in heavy rain, a pickup truck with a high rack suddenly lost control, spun, and violently collided head-on with the elderly couple’s vehicle. He described the incident as shocking.
Relatives of Yosawat and witnesses reported that earlier, Yosawat, his wife, daughter, and four other relatives had gone to help harvest durians for family in the Khao Thalu area. After finishing, they were returning with Yosawat driving, his wife and daughter seated inside, and the four relatives riding and standing in the truck bed.
At the crash site, Yosawat apparently accelerated to push through the rain on a right-hand curve. Driving at high speed, he lost control, causing the truck to spin and collide with the oncoming vehicle, resulting in multiple injuries and fatalities.
Police have documented the scene and are awaiting a further statement from the driver Yosawat to conclude their investigation and proceed with legal action.