- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Five passengers were killed and 30 injured when a chartered bus travelling from Yala to Samut Sakhon crashed into a roadside tree in Surat Thani’s Chaiya district on Wednesday (Jan 1) evening.
The accident occurred at occurred at 7.41pm on highway No 41 close to the Pa We Intersection in Tambon Pa We, Chaiya district.
Police suspect the driver was unfamiliar with the road and lost control on a bend, causing the Dee Mee Prom Co Ltd bus to overturn and smash into the tree.
The bus was full of tourists returning to Samut Sakhon after their trip to Betong district in Yala on the final day of the five-day New Year holiday.
Rescuers arrived at the scene to find injured passengers trapped in the wreckage.
Eighteen survivors were rushed to Tha Chang Hospital and 12 others sent to Chaiya Hospital.
The bodies of two men and three women were retrieved from the bus.
The bus driver, Suthep Boonchoom, 47, and his assistant, Prakit Boonchoom, 45, were taken to Chaiya police station and charged with reckless driving causing death and injury.
A passenger recounted that moments before the crash, the bus driver had asked passengers if they wanted to stop and buy souvenirs from roadside shops in Chaiya, but the passengers opted to wait for a later stop at a restaurant.
The passenger said he then heard a loud noise, before the bus overturned.
Four of the five victims were identified as Sunthorn Promnit, Sutham Towsi, Sudawadee Towsi, and Nachanok Simran. Police had yet to identify the fifth victim, a woman.
Surat Thani governor Thirut Supawibul on Thursday offered his condolences to families of the victims.
He said severely injured passengers had been referred to Surat Thani Hospital for treatment.
Executives from the Surat Thani administration visited injured passengers to offer moral support, while providing accommodation, food, and compensation details to those with minor injuries before arranging their return home.
The governor pledged speedy compensation for accident victims and bereaved families and an investigation to pinpoint the cause of the accident.
He added that bereaved relatives had been notified to reclaim the bodies.
The wrecked bus was towed to Chaiya police station for investigation. - The Nation/ANN
