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Passenger Bus Crashes in Western Thailand Killing 14, Injuring 20 [VIDEO]
A double-decker bus bound for Songkhla province crashed into a tree early Tuesday in Prachuap Khiri Khan province in western Thailand, killing at least 14 people and wounding many more.
The coach, with 46 passengers and three crew members, had departed Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal on its way to Songkhla’s Nathawi area. At around 1 a.m., the accident occurred near Hatwanakorn National Park. The coach, according to police on the site, belonged to Srisiam Tours.
A preliminary inquiry revealed 14 deaths and 32 injuries,” Arnon Tangto, a police inspector in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Huay Yang area, told Thai PBS, adding that an investigation is underway.
He stated that the cause of the accident has not been determined, but authorities assume that the driver, who was severely injured but survived, may not have had enough sleep. “We are collaborating with the hospital to check his blood alcohol level.”
The authorities are still looking into whether the deceased were all Thai.
The rescue squad discovered numerous people trapped inside the car and transported the injured to Thap Sakae and Prachuap Khiri Khan hospitals.
Meanwhile, in Kanchanaburi province in Thailand, an intoxicated police officer crashed with a motorcycle, killing the rider on the spot. The cop was found to have 300 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL) of alcohol in his blood, greatly exceeding the legal limit of 50 mg/dL.
According to the report, the accident happened around 4 p.m. on Sunday, according to Tha Muang police, who hurried to the site after receiving a torrent of calls from worried witnesses on the Ban Tham-Muang Chum road in Tha Muang district’s tambon Muang Chum.
Police eventually identified the deceased motorbike rider as Daorung Klinhom, 48, who died after her blue motorcycle raced out of control and crashed, scattering her possessions on the ground.
A Toyota pickup truck, five metres distant, was driven by Pol Sub Lt Somya Bantaotuk, 35, a deputy superintendent of Kanchanaburi Provincial Police.
Pol Sub Lt Somya hesitated to get out of the car for fear of being lynched by the gathered crowd.
The officer was then taken to the Tha Muang police station for interrogation.
Security cameras along the road captured footage of Daorung riding her motorcycle in the left lane before Pol Sub Lt Somya veered into her from the fast lane.
Daorung’s body was taken to Ratchaburi Hospital for an autopsy. Thidarat Klinhom, the victim’s daughter, begged the officers in charge of the investigation not to assist Pol Sub Lt Somya because he is a colleague.
Pol Col Surayut Mekmungkorn, superintendent of the Kanchanaburi Provincial Police and supervisor of Pol Sub Lt Somya, said he had formed a committee to investigate the situation and promised a fair and transparent investigation.
