Nineteen students were injured, four of them seriously, when a van taking them to school crashed and rolled over during heavy rain in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai on Wednesday morning.
The accident occurred at a curve on Phahon Yothin Road in tambon Mae Chan about at 6.40am, said Pol Capt Nopphon Kamnerd, a duty officer at Mae Chan police station.
Police and rescue workers reported finding the damaged van standing upright on the road's grassy median strip. A number of students between the ages of 5 and 17 were trapped inside. One schoolgirl was thrown from the vehicle during the crash.
All 19 students, boys and girls, were injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital. Most had minor injuries such as bruising, but four of them were seriously hurt.
The driver, Yongyut Thongkon, 54, told police he had been taking the students to their respective schools. It was raining heavily, the road was slippery and he lost control at a curve. The van hit the road barrier and rolled over before coming to rest.
