By Chainarong Monthienvichienchai
Four teenage boys, including two Catholic seminarians, were killed in a road crash in Loei province at the height of the Songkran holiday, deepening concerns over deadly road conditions that continue to claim lives during the annual festival.
The Apr 13 crash, which left a tight-knit Catholic community in northeastern Thailand in mourning, is among hundreds of road accidents recorded nationwide during the first four days of Songkran, when travel surges and safety risks peak despite repeated government warnings.
Thailand’s 2026 Songkran festival has once again been overshadowed by road tragedies, with 755 accidents and 154 deaths recorded nationwide from Apr 10 – 13, according to the Road Safety Center.
Police said the accident occurred along a notorious curved section of the Loei–Chiang Khan Road, where a motorcycle carrying four boys collided with a pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction.
All four victims, aged between 13 and 17, were youth football players from Tha Bom village, home to St John’s School and Archangel Raphael Parish. They were reportedly returning home when the crash occurred.
Authorities said the impact was severe, with the pickup truck dragging the motorcycle nearly 200 meters before it caught fire. The boys were thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene, while two people in the pickup truck sustained injuries.
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