A rising tennis star was killed in a horror truck crash in Thailand.

Cheryada Dee-in, also known as Janjao, 10, was returning home from a local soft tennis competition for which she won second place in Sukhothai province, on January 26.

She was riding on the back of an Isuzu D-Max pick-up when a sedan rammed the truck's rear. The impact sent the vehicle pinballing into two electric posts, before veering into the wall of a roadside home.

Cheryada was catapulted 10ft into the air. She crashed through the thin metal roof of the home and landed on the floor inside.

Police and rescue teams arrived at 11:30 pm after receiving a report from the old couple who owned the house. The residents said they heard the loud crash outside before finding Cheryada's corpse in one of their rooms.

A police spokesman said: 'There were four injured people and one fatality. Two of the injured had minor injuries, and two had moderate injuries. We will continue to investigate the case.'

The sedan driver, Kittiphop Thapmiang, 25, his passenger Panwasa Mueangluangnai, 22, the pickup truck driver, and Cheryada's relative Patchara, 41, all suffered minor to moderate injuries. They were taken to the Sukhothai Hospital for treatment.

Cheryada's grandmother Prachuap, 67, said her granddaughter was a lively girl who had been playing sports since she was four. The stricken grandmother said: 'She dreamed of being a national athlete, so she practised very hard. Her passing has left me in great grief.'

The Soft Tennis Association of Thailand extended their condolences to Cheryada's family, describing her death as a 'great tragedy' for the soft tennis industry.

The statement read: 'The Soft Tennis Association of Thailand would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Cheryada Dee-in, 10 years old, a soft tennis player from Sukhothai Province, who passed away forever in a car accident near PTT Ban Suan gas station at approximately 11:30 pm on January 26, 2025.

'This loss is a great tragedy not only for Nong Janjao's family but also for the soft tennis industry in Thailand which lost a promising athlete. The association would like to send condolences to Nong Janjao's family and her loved ones to get through this difficult time with strength.'

Cheryada's body was returned to her family for a funeral following a post-mortem exam.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.