Regional News
Day Six of Songkrans “Seven Dangerous Days” 277 Dead, 2,926 Injured
Yesterday alone, 29 deaths and 283 injuries in 273 road accidents were reported.
Seven killed in Two Bus Accidents
In Chiang Mai a bus accident in Hot district on Thursday killed four people and injured about 50, police said.
The bus was taking passengers from Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang district in Mae Hong Son. It left the road between kilometre markers 24 and 25 between Hot and Mae Sariang.
The bus hit a motorcycle before slamming into a tree, Hot police said.
Three people, all of them females, were found dead on the road near the motorcycle, and another male died in Hot hospital, they said.
About 50 passengers were sent to the same hospital.
An initial investigation by the district police said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the motorcycle coming from the opposite direction before hitting the tree.
The road in the area has several curves as it passes through mountains
In the Bangkok area a double-decker bus carrying elderly people to a temple in Tha Muang district overturned, crashing on to its side, on a main road on Thursday morning, killing three passengers and leaving another 39 injured, police said.
The bus was carrying passengers from Thon Buri district of Bangkok, to Wat Wang Khanai Tayikaram in Tha Muang district for Buddhist rites.
The bus overturned about 9.30am in Tha Maka district.
The police and rescue volunteers said they found the bus lying on its right side, blocking both lanes of the road. Motorists were directed to other routes.
Rescuers said 40 injured passengers were sent to two nearby hospitals. Two passengers, Jinda Yukongphan, 62, and Wiphanrat Jongnarungsin, 61, died inside the bus. A third person died in hospital.
Sirichai Phetkaew, 17, a bus boy, said the double-decker bus, belonged to Heng Heng Tour, suddenly overturned. He could not provide more details of why it overturned as he was not fully awake, rescuers said.
Police suspect the driver fell asleep at the wheel. He was believed to be unfamiliar with the road and was driving too fast.
Thais ranked as fourth heaviest drinkers in the world
According to a new study, Thailand ranks fourth on the list as the world’s heaviest drinkers.
Out of the 44 countries studied by Euromonitor, Thais were found to be the fourth hardest drinkers at 4.5 shots per week, closely trailing behind South Korea, Russia, and the Phillippines.
South Koreans, who topped the list, drink more alcohol than Russians, Americans, and Britons combined. South Korea’s unparalleled liquor consumption is almost entirely down to the country’s love for the fermented rice spirit Soju.
The study was released after the ‘seven dangerous days’ of the Songkran Festival is coming to an end. The unusually high death toll reported during the period resulted mainly from drunk driving, despite government campaigns to curb fatalities.