Bangkok shrine chaos as a grey BYD EV races through worshippers and crashes near the Guanyin altar. Three are injured, one seriously. The driver, 78, claims dizziness and confusion caused him to accelerate. Police probe the dramatic crash.
A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured and two others hurt after a grey BYD EV tore into a crowded Bangkok shrine. Around 30 worshippers scattered as a security guard jumped clear before the car smashed towards the Guanyin altar. Rescuers used hydraulic equipment to free the trapped woman. Meanwhile, the 78-year-old driver told police he became dizzy and confused before accelerating. His alcohol test was negative, while police are probing negligent or reckless driving causing injury.
A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured after an electric vehicle ploughed into a crowded Chinese shrine in Bangkok on Thursday. Two other worshippers were injured as around 30 visitors scrambled from the vehicle’s path.
The grey BYD drove through the entrance before smashing into the worship area. Rescue workers later used hydraulic equipment to free the seriously injured woman from beneath the vehicle.
The crash struck the Guanyin Shrine at the Thian Fah Foundation on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Police received the emergency call at around 1.13 pm on October 1. Earlier accounts placed the impact shortly before 1 pm. Within minutes, police and Poh Teck Tung Foundation rescuers were converging on the shrine.
Three worshippers injured as rescuers use hydraulic equipment to free woman trapped beneath BYD car
At the scene, officers found the badly damaged BYD deep inside the religious compound. Its front section had suffered severe damage. Debris and damaged fixtures surrounded the vehicle. Nearby, rescuers faced an urgent operation to reach people injured during the sudden collision.
Most seriously hurt was Wipa, 60, who became trapped beneath the front of the vehicle. In response, rescuers brought hydraulic equipment into the worship area. They freed Wipa before rushing her to Klang Hospital. Her injuries were described as serious in subsequent reports.
Separately, police identified the other victims as Kerkchai, 21, and Paeploy, 27. Both suffered less serious injuries. Initial emergency accounts had given conflicting casualty figures. Some reports suggested several people were trapped, while others described two victims as seriously injured.
Later reporting established a clearer picture. Three people were injured, with Wipa suffering the most serious injuries. Notably, the collision happened while about 30 people were inside paying their respects. The vehicle entered suddenly, leaving visitors only seconds to react.
Security guard jumps clear as speeding BYD crosses crowded shrine and strikes three worshippers nearby
Security guard Worraphon Youngcham, 60, was directly in the BYD’s path. He saw the vehicle come through the main entrance at speed. Worraphon immediately signalled to the driver to stop. Instead, the vehicle continued towards him and deeper into the shrine.
Faced with the approaching car, Worraphon jumped aside. Around him, worshippers also scattered across the compound. Several escaped before the vehicle reached them. Three others were struck as the BYD continued towards the Guanyin altar.
Moments later, the electric vehicle reached the area directly in front of the statue. It finally stopped beside the altar after crossing the worship area. Photographs showed extensive damage to the vehicle’s front. They also showed debris scattered around the point where it stopped.
Despite the impact, police and witnesses said the Guanyin statue escaped damage. The base and surrounding altar area were damaged. In parallel, emergency crews concentrated on reaching the injured rather than clearing the wreckage.
Wipa presented the most serious challenge. She remained trapped beneath the vehicle after suffering significant injuries. Consequently, Poh Teck Tung Foundation workers used hydraulic equipment to reach her. Once freed, she was transferred for urgent treatment at Klang Hospital.
Police gather CCTV and witness accounts after three worshippers are struck inside crowded shrine
Kerkchai and Paeploy also required treatment after being struck. However, later accounts described their injuries as less serious. The confirmed toll therefore stood at three injured, including one seriously. Early confusion over the number trapped was subsequently resolved.
As rescue operations continued, police secured the shrine and began gathering evidence. CCTV footage later circulated through Thai media. It reportedly showed the vehicle entering the compound and the immediate aftermath. Witness statements also helped establish the vehicle’s path through the shrine.
Worraphon provided one of the clearest accounts. Around 30 visitors were inside when the BYD suddenly appeared at the entrance. He attempted to warn the driver as it approached. However, the vehicle failed to stop, forcing him to leap clear.
Elsewhere inside the shrine, visitors were also trying to escape. Some moved away before the vehicle reached them. Others were unable to avoid its path. Within seconds, three worshippers had been struck and one was trapped beneath the vehicle.
Police identified the driver as Chairoj, a 78-year-old Thai man. He remained at the scene and spoke with investigators. According to police, Chairoj had been travelling to the shrine to make merit. His journey instead ended with the BYD inside the worship area.
Driver tells police dizziness and confusion preceded sudden acceleration as alcohol test proves negative
During questioning, Chairoj reportedly told officers that he suffers from high blood pressure. He said he became dizzy and confused before apparently blacking out. According to his account, he then pressed the accelerator rather than stopping.
Other reports gave a slightly different version of his explanation. Chairoj reportedly said he confused the accelerator and brake before the vehicle surged forward. Crucially, both accounts came from the driver himself. No supplied report established an independent medical finding confirming a blackout.
Police therefore continued examining the circumstances immediately before the sudden acceleration. As part of this, officers tested Chairoj for alcohol. The test returned a negative result. The available police accounts consequently provided no evidence that alcohol contributed to the collision.
Attention instead turned to the vehicle’s movement and Chairoj’s account of dizziness. Investigators also had CCTV footage and eyewitness testimony available. Together, those sources provided evidence covering the moments before and after the impact.
Pol Col Witthawat Khengkhum heads Phlapphla Chai 2 Police Station, which is handling the investigation. The shrine falls within the station’s jurisdiction. Officers subsequently gathered statements and examined the damaged vehicle and surrounding worship area.
BYD crosses shrine and stops beside altar as police examine injuries and conflicting fatality report
On another front, the physical scene showed how far the BYD travelled after entering. The vehicle passed through the entrance before continuing towards worshippers. It then crossed the shrine area and struck three people. Finally, it stopped immediately in front of the altar.
The front of the electric vehicle suffered substantial damage during that sequence. Shrine fixtures and the altar base were also damaged. Yet the Guanyin statue itself remained intact. Photographs showed the BYD lodged close to the religious structure.
Meanwhile, the condition of Wipa remained the central medical concern. Her injuries required emergency extraction using hydraulic equipment. Rescuers then rushed her to Klang Hospital. Kerkchai and Paeploy were reported with less serious injuries.
By Friday morning, police were proceeding with a case involving negligent or reckless driving causing injury. Further developments remained tied to the investigation and medical assessments. In particular, Wipa’s condition remained significant because she suffered the most serious injuries.
A separate complication emerged through conflicting reports about a possible death. One Channel 7 report carried a headline stating that somebody had died. However, stronger subsequent reporting did not corroborate that claim.
Later reports confirm three injured and no verified death after BYD drives into crowded Yaowarat shrine
Thai PBS reported three injured victims, including one seriously injured woman. More importantly, an update published at 11.34 am on October 2 maintained the same casualty figure. That report described three injured people and did not record a confirmed death.
Additionally, the Friday update said police were proceeding over negligent driving causing injury. Accordingly, the latest corroborated toll remained three injured, including one seriously. No reliably confirmed fatality had emerged from the supplied reports by late Friday morning.
The collision unfolded at a prominent Chinese religious site in Bangkok’s Samphanthawong district. The Thian Fah Foundation stands on busy Yaowarat Road. Its Guanyin Shrine was occupied by dozens of worshippers when the BYD entered.
Just before the impact, visitors had been paying their respects inside the compound. Then the grey vehicle appeared through the entrance at speed. Worraphon spotted it and attempted to stop the driver. Seconds later, he was forced to jump away.
Nearby worshippers reacted almost immediately. Some successfully escaped the approaching car. Three people were struck before the vehicle reached the altar. The impact then left Wipa trapped and seriously injured beneath the front section.
Rescuers free seriously injured woman as police examine driver’s account and CCTV from shrine crash
Soon afterwards, rescue workers moved hydraulic equipment into the shrine. They worked around the damaged vehicle to reach her. Once released, Wipa was transferred rapidly to hospital. Police simultaneously began securing evidence from the scene.
Subsequently, investigators interviewed Chairoj about the vehicle’s sudden movement. He described becoming dizzy and confused before accelerating. He also referred to either blacking out or confusing the pedals. Police recorded his explanation but continued investigating the precise cause.
Significantly, Chairoj’s alcohol test was negative. There was therefore no reported indication of alcohol impairment in the supplied material. His claimed medical episode, however, had not been independently established as the cause.
Investigators could also draw upon CCTV footage from the shrine. The recordings reportedly captured the vehicle entering the compound. In addition, witnesses described its movement from the gate towards the altar. The damaged BYD itself remained physical evidence from the collision.
For rescuers, however, the immediate focus had been the casualties. Wipa required the most difficult extraction because she was trapped beneath the vehicle. Kerkchai and Paeploy were also injured during the same rapid sequence.
Police focus on sudden acceleration as CCTV and witnesses document BYD crossing crowded grounds
For police, the case centred on how the vehicle came to accelerate into a crowded religious compound. Chairoj said he had been heading there to make merit. Instead, his BYD crossed the shrine grounds and struck three worshippers.
The sequence unfolded in seconds. First, the vehicle entered through the main gate while about 30 people were inside. Worraphon then attempted to signal the driver. When the BYD continued forward, he jumped out of its path.
At that point, worshippers scattered as the vehicle drove towards the altar. Several escaped. Three were struck. Wipa became trapped beneath the front section and suffered serious injuries.
Shortly afterwards, the BYD finally stopped at the front of the shrine. Its front end was heavily damaged. The altar base and surrounding fixtures also suffered damage. Remarkably, the Guanyin statue remained untouched.
By Friday morning, police had identified all three injured worshippers and questioned the driver. They had also obtained a negative alcohol test. Moreover, CCTV and eyewitness evidence provided a record of the vehicle’s movement.
Police continue investigation as three injuries remain confirmed and fatality report stays uncorroborated
The investigation remained with Phlapphla Chai 2 Police Station. Officers were examining the circumstances surrounding the sudden acceleration and Chairoj’s actions immediately beforehand. They were also awaiting further information on the injured victims.
For now, Wipa, 60, remained the most seriously injured person in the confirmed reports. Kerkchai, 21, and Paeploy, 27, suffered less serious injuries. The confirmed toll therefore remained three injured, one seriously.
The conflicting fatality report remained uncorroborated. Later reports continued to describe an injury case rather than a fatal collision. Accordingly, police proceedings concerned negligent or reckless driving causing injury at the latest confirmed stage.
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The crash left investigators with several direct sources of evidence. CCTV captured the vehicle entering the shrine. Witnesses saw its approach and attempted to escape. Police also had Chairoj’s statement and the damaged BYD itself.
Above all, the established sequence remained clear. A grey electric vehicle entered a shrine containing around 30 worshippers. The security guard tried to stop it. Visitors scattered, but three people were hit.
One woman was trapped beneath the vehicle and seriously injured. Rescue workers used hydraulic equipment to free her. The BYD then stood badly damaged beside the Guanyin altar, where its sudden journey finally ended.
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