Van, truck collide, catch fire on Thai highway, killing 25

van and pickup collision in Thailand - 2 Jan 2017

In this image made from video a man watches as two vehicles burn after they collided on a highway east of Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. Authorities say a van and a pickup collided and caught fire on a highway in eastern Thailand, killing 25 people. The public transit van lost control and crossed the grass median, colliding with the pickup truck going in the opposite direction Monday afternoon, according to Thai Road Accident Data for Road Safety Culture, which compiles electronic insurance reports. (Photo from Matichon TV via AP)

BANGKOK — Authorities say a van and a pickup collided and caught fire on a highway in eastern Thailand, killing 25 people.

The public transit van lost control and crossed the grass median, colliding with the pickup truck going in the opposite direction Monday afternoon, according to Thai Road Accident Data for Road Safety Culture, which compiles electronic insurance reports.

Two people survived the crash, said police Col. Dusadee Kunchorn Na Ayutthaya, superintendent of the Ban Bung district police station in Chonburi province.

“An accident like this shouldn’t happen but it did,” Dusadee said. Both drivers were killed, and police were not yet able to interview the survivors, to determine what caused the crash.

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