One person has died and two others were injured when an elderly driver blacked out and drove his car into a crowd of worshippers at the Guanyin Shrine inside the Thien Fah Foundation in Bangkok’s Yaowarat area.
Police from Plapphla Chai 2 station were alerted to the accident on Yaowarat Road in Samphanthawong district yesterday. First responders arriving at the scene found a sedan lodged against the shrine's main altar.
The driver was identified as 78-year-old Chairoj (family name withheld).
Rescue workers used hydraulic cutting equipment to free 60-year-old Wipa, who was pinned beneath the car’s front bumper.
She was rushed to Klang Hospital with severe injuries and ultimately succumbed to her wounds. Two other worshippers sustained minor injuries.
Worapol Yangcham, a 60-year-old security guard at the foundation, said that around 30 people were praying inside the shrine when the vehicle struck it.
He attempted to flag the car down and jumped out of the way before the vehicle crashed into the crowd.
Pol. Col. Witthawat Khengkhum, chief of Plapphla Chai 2 Police Station, said preliminary questioning has revealed that the driver was on his way to make merit at the shrine when he experienced sudden confusion and blacked out due to underlying high blood pressure.
He inadvertently stepped on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to surge into the crowd.
Police are conducting detailed questioning and are preparing to press charges of reckless driving causing death and injury.
