A minivan crash in Thailand has left three British tourists fighting for their lives and five others injured.
This morning a group of holidaymakers landed at the airport in Bangkok and were travelling straight to the popular party resort of Pattaya on the east coast of the country.
But the white Toyota minibus they were in collided with a central reservation on the motorway just after 10.30am local time.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and took the injured passengers to hospital.
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Three of the group were in a critical condition while five others were conscious after the collision.
The driver, Thanakorn To-iam, 53, suffered injuries to his right leg and nose, and was taken to hospital.
Thanakorn told police he had picked up his passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport and was heading to tourist attractions in Pattaya.
He said when the van's rear left tyre exploded on the motorway, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the barricade.
Police are investigating and examining evidence, including dash-cam footage and tyre tracks to check the driver's claims.
A spokesman for the Sawang Boriboon Foundation said: ''There were eight injured people in the minivan. They were all travelling together from the UK.
''Three of them were seriously injured and have been taken to the nearest hospital.''
Captain Nakhonrat Nontseelard from Pattaya Police said investigators would check the vehicle and interview the crash victims to find the cause of the accident.
He said: ''The initial evidence from the scene of the crash was that a tyre blew and the van lost control.
"But we also need to check if the driver was speeding or if anything else could have caused the crash.''
