Day Four of Songkrans “Seven Dangerous Days” 204 Dead, 2,142 Injured

THAILAND -Forty-three people were killed and 502 injured in 488 accidents on April 14, the fourth of the “seven dangerous days” (April 11-17) of the Songkran festival, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Tuesday.

The greatest number of the accidents on Monday were caused by drunk driving (43.03%), followed by speeding (22.34%). The majority (78.23%) of the accidents involved motorcycles.

Monday’s figures brought the number of people killed and injured in the first four days, April 11-14, to 204 dead and 2,142 injured in 2,027 accidents.

The four-day figures showed Nakhon Ratchasima had the largest number of fatalities (11).

Nakhon Si Thammarat saw the highest accumulated number of accidents (75) and injuries (82).

The accident-free province as of Monday was Chaiyaphum.

 38 Injured in Saraburi Bus Accident

Thirty-eight people were hurt when a coach skidded and landed on its side on the shoulder of a road in Kaeng Khoi, Saraburi province, on Tuesday.

The Loei-Nakhon Ratchasima coach of Nakornchai Transport Co Ltd lost balance and turned over at Km 13 of Ban Na-Kaeng Khoi road in the central province, according to Thai media reports.

It also hit the houses of people along the road and toppled lamp posts, causing a blackout in the area.

The driver told the police it was raining when the accident happened and that part of the road was a curve.

The injured passengers were sent to Kaeng Khoi Hospital. One of them sustained critical injuries.