Thai road carnage: Two die on overturned bus that should never have climbed "Angel Hill"

[webfact]

Thai road carnage: Two die on overturned bus that should never have climbed "Angel Hill"

 

Thai caption: Sacrifice on "Angel Hill"

Picture: Sanook

 

Two people have died and many more were injured after a minibus tried - and failed - to get to the top of a scenic hill in southern Thailand.

 

The bus should never have been on the road in the first place.

 

A witness said that they saw the bus revving its engine in a futile attempt to get to the top of Angel Hill (Khao Thewada) in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, a well known tourist spot.

 

But the engine was not able to cope and the bus slid back and overturned.

 

The witness saw a bloody scene inside with body parts.

 

Rescuers and Khanom police helped around two dozen people on the bus. Two women aged 46 and 63 from Hat Yai were killed.

 

Eighteen were injured - three seriously.

 

Khanom district chief Theerapong Chuanychu said that the bus had been hired to take a group of people from a Chinese association in Hat Yai to visit the area.

 

Sanook reported that minibuses are not allowed to use the hill and visitors must park at the foot of the hill and arrange other transport to the top because it is so steep.

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-02-24

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[worgeordie]

Crashed going UP a hill,thats a new one, looks like he set off in too high

a gear,tried to change to lower gear and miss it,resulting in bus rolling

backwards and over turning.  RIP those dead,like its reported should

not have gone up the hill

 

regards Worgeordie

[ignis]

Is this the New Safer type Mini Bus  ??

[smedly]

23 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Crashed going UP a hill,thats a new one, looks like he set off in too high

a gear,tried to change to lower gear and miss it,resulting in bus rolling

backwards and over turning.  RIP those dead,like its reported should

not have gone up the hill

 

regards Worgeordie

too much information mate - I think it is safe to say that neither bus nor driver were fit for the task which isn't at all a surprise in Thailand

 

 

We have about 1800 road deaths in the UK annually with a similar population to Thailand

 

Thailand has near double that per month

 

Pretty much says it all really 

 

Road Safety costs huge money - Thailand has no intention of spending 

[NCC1701A]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Khanom district chief Theerapong Chuanychu said that the bus had been hired to take a group of people from a Chinese association in Hat Yai to visit the area.

if the virus does not get you the roads will.

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The bus should never have been on the road in the first place.

Would that not apply to most busses?

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, ignis said:

Is this the New Safer type Mini Bus  ??

I think it may well be, but they forgot to replace the nerd behind the wheel.

[Oztruckie]

Just another case of an incompetent fool operating a vehicle he knows nothing about,virtually all buses are geared appropriately to be able to climb most mountain roads,I call bs on bus shouldn't have been on the road.

[Hank Gunn]

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The bus should never have been on the road in the first place.

Would that not apply to most busses Thai drivers?

Fixed that for ya.

[pokerface1]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

if the virus does not get you the roads will.

I hope those words don’t haunt you mate

[trainman34014]

RIP the two Lady's; victims of another Numpty Thai driver !

[legend49]

 

The bus should never have been on the road in the first place.

 

Ever known a Thai to comply with rules?

[toolpush]

Mini-Bus?

[30la]

It seems to me that it is a big bus and not a mini bus as mentioned, if you count the people transported then ...
In any case, another proof of great deficiency and neglect of the life of others!

[Assurancetourix]

4 hours ago, Oztruckie said:

Just another case of an incompetent fool operating a vehicle he knows nothing about,virtually all buses are geared appropriately to be able to climb most mountain roads,I call bs on bus shouldn't have been on the road.

In Thailand tourist (and line) buses mostly date from the Stone Age.
They are almost all 50 y old or more;

even those that appear new are only because the paint is new.

 

I have never seen a bus with a relay box (mechanical or electrical or even both, the Volvo 89F tractor units put on the market 50 years ago had a 4-stage gearbox, which makes 8 and optional overdrive on all gears which gave 16 gears in forward and 4 in reverse); no vehicle here is equipped with an electromagnetic retarder.
In Europe, almost all passenger buses have an automatic gearbox and their drivers have spent a few weeks in specialized schools to learn not only how to drive them but also what they have inside ;

And some hours to know what to do on  first aid and use of a fire extinguisher .

And yes, when you do not know how to handle a powder extinguisher you can catch the gas cartridge in the eye.

 

Here in Thailand, the license to drive large trucks and buses is obtained in 3 days !!
You read that right, 3 days starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. with a lunch break of at least 1 hour.
Let a Thai come here write the opposite, he cannot ...

After 2 and a half days, you are the holder of the driving license for all these heavy vehicles because you pass an exam after noon on the 3rd day;

an 8-year-old one-legged and drunk kid like a Polish would get it, it is so simple.

[Assurancetourix]

54 minutes ago, legend49 said:

 

The bus should never have been on the road in the first place.

 

Ever known a Thai to comply with rules?

 

This type of road is prohibited for the circulation of all vehicles except two wheels with or without an engine.
This is what we find at the bottom of Phu Tok in Loei province

 

20 baht for the round trip in these song theo; as well in Phu Tok as to go up to Wat not far from Sakon

 

 

 

or at the bottom of the magnificent Wat Tham Pha Daen, about 15 km from Sakon Nakhon (rd 2339)

 

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Sanook reported that minibuses are not allowed to use the hill and visitors must park at the foot of the hill and arrange other transport to the top because it is so steep.

So the charge will be premeditated murder then?

[soalbundy]

7 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

if the virus does not get you the roads will.

"Oh why didn't we stay in the safety of Wuhan"

[soalbundy]

Body parts ? ? ? it must have been going at 15kmh

[wotsdermatter]

On 2/23/2020 at 8:45 PM, webfact said:

Sanook reported that minibuses are not allowed to use the hill and visitors must park at the foot of the hill and arrange other transport to the top because it is so steep.

Some people never read the information provided or do not understand what they read.  Such is the case here.  As it was reported to be a mini-bus, regardless of what is appears to be then it is the fault of the driver as he should be aware that he is prohibited to drive his vehicle on that particular road.

 

As the deceased were Chinese, could this be another nail in the coffin for Chinese tourists desiring to visit the land of incompetent and untrained drivers.  Maybe uninsured as well.

'nuf sed.