A tragic road accident in Loei Province, Thailand, has claimed the lives of four teenage footballers after a motorcycle they were riding collided with a pickup truck late on Monday night.
The victims, identified as August, Ice, DR, and Satang, were aged between 14 and 16 and were members of their school’s youth football team.
The incident occurred at around 11pm on April 13 when the motorcycle carrying all four teenagers collided with a pickup truck while navigating a curve in the road.
According to local reports, the impact was severe enough that the pickup truck dragged the motorcycle for approximately 200 metres before it caught fire. The teenagers were thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.
The pickup truck driver and a passenger sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Police later questioned the 28-year-old driver, identified as Wutthichai (transliterated), but said he was in a dazed condition and unable to provide a clear statement at the time.
Authorities also reportedly found a drug-smoking pipe inside the vehicle, while allegations surfaced that the driver may have consumed alcohol before the crash, although test results are still pending.
Witness footage allegedly showed the driver exiting his vehicle shirtless and behaving erratically before running to a nearby house, where he was later detained by police.
The case remains under investigation, with no formal charges filed at this stage, while grieving families have reportedly called for the suspect to face the maximum penalty.
