Four people that were being transported from a clinic in Mae Sariang to nearby Thai refugee camps Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Moe sustained injuries after a wet tree fell on the truck that was carrying them.
Saw Tu Tu, from the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC), said: “The tree got entangled with the power cable falling directly on the car so the whole car was electrocuted.”
The KRC official said that among the nine people in the truck, a doctor, a couple and a six-month baby were shocked after it struck their vehicle near Thaemupho Village.
The baby and doctor received light injuries. The couple, who were knocked from the truck, sustained more serious injuries. The husband was taken to the nearest hospital and his spouse sent to Chiang Mai.
Refugees in Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Moe that are suffering from diseases that can’t be treated in the camps often receive attention in Mae Sariang. However, it’s the first time that an accident of this kind has happened, even during the rainy season when road conditions are much worse.
There are about 120,000 people living in refugee camps in Thailand—most are ethnic Karen that have fled fighting between the Burma Army and Karen rebels over the last several decades.
Reporting by Saw Thein Myint for KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by BNI staff
