Nine people, mostly Myanmar migrant workers, died and six others were seriously injured in a road accident involving a passenger van hired to transport Myanmar migrant workers in Kamphaeng Phet province this morning.

The identities of the victims were not immediately known while a forensic examination on the bodies of death victims is underway, police said, however, adding that the Thai driver was among the dead.

The accident reportedly occurred at about 6.50am when the van went off the road, crashing into a tree before catching fire, police said.

The accident took place on an inbound lane of Phahonyothin Road between Khlong Khlung district and Muang district of Kamphaeng Phet, police said.

The van driver, later identified as Phromwat Saekhu from Pathum Thani, was believed to have fallen asleep behind the wheel, police said.

A preliminary police investigation found the van was hired to transport Myanmar migrant workers to the border district of Mae Sot in Tak province in the North, police said.

It remains unclear from where these Myanmar migrants came.

The van was burned into chars by the time a rescue team arrived at the scene, police said.

Police are further investigating the cause of the accident, saying this section of the road has a high rate of accidents involving a driver falling asleep behind the wheel, which is blamed mainly on the road being very long and straight.