16 killed in car crash in Thailand’s northeast

BANGKOK – At least 16 people have been killed when a pickup truck crashed into a tree on a rural road in Thailand’s northeast, police said.

Police Col. Suthee Setthawong said the pickup truck carrying a number of construction workers in the back slammed into a big tree next to a road in Ban Dan district in Buriram province on Monday.

He said that 10 men, including the 24-year-old Thai driver, and 6 women, were killed, while at least five others were injured. The truck was also badly damaged.

Police believe the driver fell asleep while driving, he said. Police found a tablet of methamphetamine in his pocket and a bottle of alcohol next to his seat.

Buriram is 300 kilometers (190 miles) northeast of Thailand’s capital.