Lottery-winning couple killed in road accident

Udon Thani -- A couple who made headlines last year when they won Bt42 million died early Friday of injuries sustained in a road accident on their way to a Valentine's Day celebration on Thursday night.

Sittichai Suwannalee, a Laotian student attending Assumption University, surrendered himself to police at the scene of the accident after his Porsche struck the couple's motorcycle in the border province of Udon Thani.

The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed.

Police later charged Sittichai with reckless driving causing death.

The Nation