/ 27 December 2013

Thailand bus accident kills 29

At least 29 people were killed in the bus crash in north-east Thailand.
At least 29 people were killed in the bus crash in north-east Thailand.

At least 29 people were killed and four badly injured when a bus plunged into a deep ravine in north-east Thailand, police said Friday.

The accident occurred around midnight on Thursday-Friday in Lom Sak district, Phetchabun province while the bus was en route to the northern province of Chiang Rai.

"We suspect the bus driver fell asleep," Major General Sukit Samana, police commander of Phetchabun province, said.

"We found 28 bodies in the ravine, which is about 30m deep. And one died at the hospital," he said.

Four others were in a critical condition.

"The eyewitness who informed the police said the bus went very fast before it plunged into the ravine," he said.

The bus, which was carrying 40 passengers, was completely destroyed in the accident.

The accident occurred as millions of Thai motorists are expected to travel during the New Year holidays.

At least 20 people were killed in October when a tour bus carrying elderly Buddhist devotees plunged into a ravine in north-east Thailand.

A recent report by the World Health Organisation said the country saw about 38.1 road deaths per 100 000 of population, compared to an average of 18.5 in Southeast Asia as a whole. – Sapa-AFP