7 Killed, Over 40 Injured When Bus Veers Off Mountainside

[george]

7 killed, over 40 injured when bus veers off mountainside

PRACHIN BURI: -- An air-conditioned bus veered off a moutainside, killing seven people, one of them a foreigner, police said.

Police said the Nong Khai-Rayong lost control and veered off the road while it was speeding down a mountain road in Nadee district at 2 am.

The bus fell down about 15 metres down the mountainside, police said.

Seven people died at the scene and one of them was an unidentified foreigner.

Over 40 passengers were injured and rushed to the Wang Nam Khiew and Nadee hospitals.

-- The Nation 2007-04-10

[KireB]

RIP

A speeding bus, what a surprise.

[lannarebirth]

So much for "Plan A".

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=113693&hl=

Hopefully there's a more rational "Plan B" in the wings.

RIP

[solent01]

Again we get this type of news over the holiday period, RIP.

[Jai Dee]

Tour bus plunges into ravine

A tour bus full of passengers plunged into a ravine in Prachinburi province, causing 7 fatalities and 30 injuries.

At 2 AM today (April 10), a double decker tour bus belonging to the 407 Air Pattana (แอร์พัฒนา) company, traveling from Nong Khai to Rayong province plummeted into a ravine below a section of the Kabinburi-Korat (กบินทร์บุรี-โคราช) Road in Prachinburi province, resulting in 7 fatalities and more than 30 injuries.

Local officials and rescue personnel have recovered victims' bodies, while injured passengers have been sent to Wang Nam Keaw (วังน้ำเขียว) Hospital in Nakhonratchasima province. Questioning of the bus driver revealed that the vehicle had just picked up 57 passengers from Nong Khai province and was headed to Rayong province when the incident occured.

The bus driver alleged that he lost control of the vehicle when he swerved to avoid a trailer truck, causing the bus to overturn into a nearby ravine. Confirmed fatalities include 1 Thai male, 1 foreign male, 1 monk, and 4 Thai females.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 April 2007

[sriracha john]

More carnage on this nation's roadways

- Thai Rath

[sriracha john]

7 dead in Prachin Buri pickup accident

A light truck overloaded with 51 people went off the road in eastern Thailand this morning. Police said seven passengers died.

- Bangkok Post

============================

SURELY they actually mean bus, otherwise Prachin Buri is a REALLY, REALLY unsafe place to drive through... AND there's a new world record for cramming 51 people into a pickup.

[Big A]

I suppose the piece of sh1t fled the scene!!

[Scott]

As for Plan "A"--apparently this driver's pledge was to the wrong diety.

My condolences to all those affected by the tragedy.

[Laulen]

Perhaps they should ban overnight bus trips! It seems to me that most of these accidents occur in the 'wee small hours!'

My prayers go out to those who have died and their families, not to mention those injured who may bear the scars of this accident for life!

[grahamhc]

I suppose the piece of sh1t fled the scene!!

Jumping to normal conclusions! If you read an earlier report is said "The bus driver alleged that he lost control of the vehicle when he swerved to avoid a trailer truck, causing the bus to overturn into a nearby ravine. "

This is terrible bit of road, but at least "The Road Authories" are in the middle of rebuilding it with new dual carrigways built by carving out the side of the mountain. Currently the most dangerous part of the journey from Chonburi/Rayong to Isaarn.

RIP

[Big A]

Jumping to normal conclusions! If you read an earlier report is said "The bus driver alleged that he lost control of the vehicle when he swerved to avoid a trailer truck, causing the bus to overturn into a nearby ravine. "

^^^

Yeah, Graham. You're right. Jumping to conclusions!! Sorry to all offended!!

[sriracha john]

Perhaps they should ban overnight bus trips! It seems to me that most of these accidents occur in the 'wee small hours!'

It just keeps getting worse

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1245718

Edited April 10, 2007 by sriracha john

[NamKAheng]

Bangkok Post April 11

Two crashes involving buses leave 14 dead

MANIT SANUBBOON NUCHAREE RAKRUN

Prachin Buri _ Two separate accidents involving inter-provincial buses killed 14 people early yesterday, an ominous sign two days ahead of the Songkran holiday period which annually claims hundreds of road victims. The accidents occurred in Prachin Buri and Nakhon Si Thammarat after midnight. Seven passengers were killed in each accident.

The Prachin Buri crash also injured 31 passengers, but could have been even more tragic as the bus, loaded with 50 passengers, nearly fell off a cliff between Khao Yai and Thap Lan national parks.

The bus was on its way from Nong Khai to Rayong.

As driver Jirapat Waipanta, 44, drove down a steep hill, he was forced to turn sharply to avoid a car travelling head-on towards the bus.

The bus came to rest on the side of the road. The rear of the bus had plunged into a 10-metre-deep pit.

The seven dead included a monk, a young girl and a foreigner identified as Alan Thomas O'Connor.

A rescue team struggled to pull others out of the severely damaged vehicle.

The 31 injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Three were in a serious condition.

''We charged the driver with careless driving that led to the casualties,'' said Pol Lt Col Mongkol Janploy, inspector for Prachin Buri's Na Di district.

The driver was trying to pass an 18-wheeled truck when the accident occurred, said Transport Co acting managing director Wutichart Kalayanamit.

The Transport Co is a state enterprise under the Transport Ministry which oversees inter-provincial buses.

''It was by good luck that I survived,'' said passenger Anan Sokamkaew.

The Nakhon Sri Thammarat accident involved a collision between a bus and a pick-up truck, police said. The seven dead and one injured in the crash were all travelling in the pick-up.

Police reported the accident occurred when the pick-up truck drove without warning onto the highway from a secondary road and rammed into the Bangkok-Hat Yai bus.

Police yesterday had not been able to identify the pick-up driver.

The two buses were operated by private firms which had won concessions from Transport Co to operate buses on the routes.

Typical driving habit of bus drivers in Thailand "The driver was trying to pass an 18-wheeled truck when the accident occurred, said Transport Co acting managing director Wutichart Kalayanamit." and don't forget that he was passing the 18-wheeled truck on a steep hill and saw the car at the last minute (meaning there was a curve at the bottom).

In the second case, the pick-up truck made a Thai mai pen rai stop!

[sumrit]

I went past the wrecked bus yesterday just after it had been hoisted back up on to the road and it's a wonder more people were'nt dead when we saw how far down the ravine it fell. We were traveling towards Korat when we came to a queue of very slow moving traffic (which turned out to be about 1 km long) and we couldn't see why. To start with everybody stayed in the queue then after a couple of minutes somebody decided he wasn't going to wait and overtook everybody. Loads of other cars followed and the road was quickly jammed 3 abreast totally blocking the road to oncoming vehicles. When we finally got to the reason for the holdup (the wrecked bus) there were 3 lanes of traffic trying to force their way into 1 lane while the cars from the other direction were trying to force their way into our now totaly bocked part of the road and a large crane (I presume used to get the bus out) trying to reverse back onto the road, total chaos, yet the local BIB were just standing at the side of the road watching, not attempting to do anything to control the traffic flow. My wife and I drive along this route regularly between Chonburi and Korat and we share the driving but she won't drive this section, she says it scares her because of the lunatic way some of the people drive, with a sheer drop at the side of some parts of the road. And I have to agee, even for Thailand, some of the drivers are absolutely mental.

[Maigo6]

Yes, I also travel that road often, the overtaking up the inclines is to be expected even though it can be hairy at times.

One problem is driver frustration at being behind trucks struggling up the hills at 10KPH, especially when they have a 163 BHP Vigo or Similar powered Pick up.

I would not turn this tragic accident into another ' The Thas are useless drivers' thread, I expect that if you had that road in any other country on the planet, it would still be a dangerous road, and drivers would still get frustrated and try to overtake struggling trucks at any given opportunity, dare I say it........ even Farang drivers.

I use that road a lot, and I know the frustration I feel when behind a hardly moving truck going up the inclines, usually I boot it and get past at any given opportunity.

Edited April 11, 2007 by Maigo6

[kurgen]

My wife and I drive along this route regularly between Chonburi and Korat and we share the driving but she won't drive this section, she says it scares her because of the lunatic way some of the people drive, with a sheer drop at the side of some parts of the road. And I have to agee, even for Thailand, some of the drivers are absolutely mental

I use that road a lot, and I know the frustration I feel when behind a hardly moving truck going up the inclines, usually I boot it and get past at any given opportunity.

I've driven this stretch of road a few times and you're both right, it's full of idiot drivers and we all drive like idiots when driving it

[NamKAheng]

Look at the end of this text, they had a other bus accident in Bur Ram province:

Thursday April 12, 2007

SONGKRAN HEADING HOME FOR HOLIDAYS

Safety a concern as exodus begins

The exodus for the long April 13 to 17 Songkran holidays started yesterday, as authorities stepped up road and public safety measures. Bangkok's Mor Chit bus terminal in Chatuchak was crowded with people heading for destinations in the North and Northeast yesterday.

Wuthichart Kalayanamitr, acting president of the state-owned Transport Co, said 250,000 travellers were expected to pass through Mor Chit yesterday with the same amount today, up from over 100,000 on Tuesday. He said the bus terminal was secured by 36 security cameras, bomb experts, around 100 police including plainclothes ones and sniffer dogs.

Bus drivers are subject to regular physical checks and are required to rest for half an hour for every four hours of driving.

For trips longer than 500km, every bus must have a second driver.

Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Chansena yesterday called on motorists to strictly abide by traffic rules, and urged parents not to let underage children drive and cause road accidents.

He said that during past New Year holidays over 30% of the drivers violating traffic rules were teenagers.

Under the juvenile protection law, parents would also be punished if their children caused road accidents, he said.

Mr Banyat said there will be more than 3,000 checkpoints on roads nationwide to implement road safety measures during the Songkran festival.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai authorities have banned double-decker vehicles from climbing to Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep and using the winding Mae Rim-Samoeng highway until April 17.

The ban is aimed at preventing accidents on narrow and winding roads on hilly terrain, because they are likely to be congested during the long holidays.

It was prompted by an accident involving a double-decker carrying teachers on a winding and narrow road near mount Doi Saket in Chiang Mai in January. The accident killed 21 and injured 36.

Despite the safety measures in place, an air-conditioned bus heading from Bangkok to Mukdahan province collided with a six-wheeled truck at Tarn Diao junction in Phutthaisong district of Buri Ram province yesterday.

A total of 26 people were injured. It was reported that traffic lights broke down at the junction

[Johpa]

I would not turn this tragic accident into another ' The Thas are useless drivers' thread, I expect that if you had that road in any other country on the planet, it would still be a dangerous road, and drivers would still get frustrated and try to overtake struggling trucks at any given opportunity, dare I say it........ even Farang drivers.

But all too many Thais are useless drivers and the inability of the Thai police to properly patrol the roads is a national disgrace. And as a life long snow skier of over 45 years, I have driven plenty of dangerous roads in hazardous conditions without seeing the carnage that one sees in Thailand on an annual basis.

[thatguy]

is there a regulated number of hours that a driver may work in any given 24 hour period?

I'm told they are heavily overworked, and with the number of accidents, pilot error seems likely in many cases.

[0Mix1up]

Out of all the scary stuff in Thailand travelling on a bus at night has been the most.

Rip

samsara.

[mikethevigoman]

I went past the wrecked bus yesterday just after it had been hoisted back up on to the road and it's a wonder more people were'nt dead when we saw how far down the ravine it fell. We were traveling towards Korat when we came to a queue of very slow moving traffic (which turned out to be about 1 km long) and we couldn't see why. To start with everybody stayed in the queue then after a couple of minutes somebody decided he wasn't going to wait and overtook everybody. Loads of other cars followed and the road was quickly jammed 3 abreast totally blocking the road to oncoming vehicles. When we finally got to the reason for the holdup (the wrecked bus) there were 3 lanes of traffic trying to force their way into 1 lane while the cars from the other direction were trying to force their way into our now totaly bocked part of the road and a large crane (I presume used to get the bus out) trying to reverse back onto the road, total chaos, yet the local BIB were just standing at the side of the road watching, not attempting to do anything to control the traffic flow. My wife and I drive along this route regularly between Chonburi and Korat and we share the driving but she won't drive this section, she says it scares her because of the lunatic way some of the people drive, with a sheer drop at the side of some parts of the road. And I have to agee, even for Thailand, some of the drivers are absolutely mental.

What will it take before thailand educate their drivers,.

[mikethevigoman]

Yes, I also travel that road often, the overtaking up the inclines is to be expected even though it can be hairy at times.

One problem is driver frustration at being behind trucks struggling up the hills at 10KPH, especially when they have a 163 BHP Vigo or Similar powered Pick up.

I would not turn this tragic accident into another ' The Thas are useless drivers' thread, I expect that if you had that road in any other country on the planet, it would still be a dangerous road, and drivers would still get frustrated and try to overtake struggling trucks at any given opportunity, dare I say it........ even Farang drivers.

I use that road a lot, and I know the frustration I feel when behind a hardly moving truck going up the inclines, usually I boot it and get past at any given opportunity.

I bet you have had some driver tuition /instruction, and when you overtake you have checked if safe to do so, the thais seem to take a look and hope for the best !,. i am qualified to make this statement having travelled around thailand for 19 years ,.ive survived by driving defensivly and treating all other drivers as uneducated and unaware,( im being polite here ! ) and im rarely disapointed ! ,most of my miles are done by motor bike and i still am amazed that motorists coming in the opposite direction see a bike and still deliberatly overtake aiming at me !,. driver education is whats needed, of course it wont stop all accidents ,but ill guarantee it will cut them down,

Edited April 13, 2007 by mikethevigoman

[Doug]

I agree that this is a sad situation, and is not likely to improve without

1) driver training and proper testing of drivers

2) lots of TV ads telling people not to drive while drunk

3) improved roads with an overtaking lane going uphill so trucks can pull off to the side lane.

I have travelled a lot in Mexico, and exactly the same situation exists there.

Edited April 15, 2007 by Doug

[Mid]

I agree that this is a sad situation, and is not likely to improve without

1) driver training and proper testing of drivers

2) lots of TV ads telling people not to drive while drunk

3) improved roads with an overtaking lane going uphill so trucks can pull off to the side lane.

I have travelled a lot in Mexico, and exactly the same situation exists there.

proactive policing and professional enforcement of the existing laws would go a long way .

nothing short of selfish to say the least would describe the driver of the oncoming vehicle

[kuma]

I lived in Moscow for a time years ago and travelled extensively through Russia and its "near abroad" and these roads are safe beyond measure compared to conditions there.

I would not turn this tragic accident into another ' The Thas are useless drivers' thread, I expect that if you had that road in any other country on the planet, it would still be a dangerous road, and drivers would still get frustrated and try to overtake struggling trucks at any given opportunity, dare I say it........ even Farang drivers.

But all too many Thais are useless drivers and the inability of the Thai police to properly patrol the roads is a national disgrace. And as a life long snow skier of over 45 years, I have driven plenty of dangerous roads in hazardous conditions without seeing the carnage that one sees in Thailand on an annual basis.