Five Killed, 49 Injured When Bus Falls Into Ravine In Phitsanulok

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Five killed, 49 injured when bus falls into ravine in Phitsanulok
The Nation

PHITSANULOK: -- An Udon Thani-Chiang Mai bus fell into a ravine in this northern province early Monday, killing five and injuring 49 other people, police said.

The accident happened at 2 am on Phitsanulok-Dan Sai Road in Tambon Bopho of Nakhon Thai district.

Police said the ravine is about 10-metre deep. Thirty-nine passengers were rushed to the Dan Sai district hospital and ten others to Yupparaj Nakhon Thai district hospital.


-- The Nation 2013-04-08

[webfact]

RT @191Thailand: KomChadLuek reporting a 7-y-o boy among the 5 dead in the bus crash in Phitsanulok. They say 2 males & 3 females. All Thai.

[webfact]

RT @191Thailand: KomChadLuek has named a female foreigner among the injured from the bus crash. Notes that she is 4 months pregnant.

[laurentbkk]

another tragedy .... RIP

[DocN]

Will this ever stop?

And please: spare me the "it happens everywhere"- bs!

In 40 years back home, I haven't read about as many fatal bus- accidents as I have here in the last 3 months.

It IS about how a country enforces laws, how it values education and safety etc.

RIP the victims

[Mampara]

RT @191Thailand: KomChadLuek reporting a 7-y-o boy among the 5 dead in the bus crash in Phitsanulok. They say 2 males & 3 females. All Thai.

What's the difference whether they are Thai or another nation? They are people that came to a tragic end.

[pattayadingo]

RT @191Thailand: KomChadLuek reporting a 7-y-o boy among the 5 dead in the bus crash in Phitsanulok. They say 2 males & 3 females. All Thai.

What's the difference whether they are Thai or another nation? They are people that came to a tragic end.

Maybe some people have foreigners travelling who would read the news, so the Thai deaths would be an immediate relief to them.

A sad loss so near Songkran.

[technologybytes]

I drive a lot around Thailand and I'm forever seeing crashed buses by the side of the road. Admittedly not all of them have fatalities or even serious injury, but I'd bet that a bus crashes somewhere EVERY DAY in Thailand.

Somebody once likened the number of people killed in bus crashes in Thailand as being similar in numbers to a fully loaded Boeing 747 crashing every 3 months... I'm not sure if that's current or true, but it shows the scale of the carnage.

When will the law change to ensure basic safety standards for bus operators in Thailand?

[BKS22]

Hmmm...geee and at 2:00am no less!

Wish I could say I am surprised......disgusted and saddened? Yes! But hardly surprised. I've been saying for years how damn dangerous these over night bus trips are. And here is another sad example where lives were lost because of simple incompetence & negligence I'm sure.

R.I.P. to those who lost their lives.

[jucel]

Will this ever stop?

And please: spare me the "it happens everywhere"- bs!

In 40 years back home, I haven't read about as many fatal bus- accidents as I have here in the last 3 months.

It IS about how a country enforces laws, how it values education and safety etc.

RIP the victims

I would say it will never stop, as corruption is rife and accepted here.

[andygunther]

I wonder when they will strengthen the legislation ...
I read about bus accident in Thailand every week, and usually I think that drivers falling asleep.

[jucel]

I also think that most people living here (thais & non thais) suffer from compassion fatigue. It just becomes the norm & people accept it. There's an almost 'i'm alright jack' sort of attitude!

[MrLaoKao]

If someone started collecting statistics of accidents and deaths by bus company, people could start choosing the safest company to go with. Could even make the bus companies invest a bit in safety.

Edited April 8, 2013 by MrLaoKao

[jucel]

If someone started collecting statistics of accidents and deaths by bus company, people could start choosing the safest company to go with. Could even make the bus companies invest a bit in safety.

The figures would be fudged to the highest bidder!

[Pimay1]

If someone started collecting statistics of accidents and deaths by bus company, people could start choosing the safest company to go with. Could even make the bus companies invest a bit in safety.

, people could start choosing the safest company to go with.

There ain't one.

[Hedghog]

Will this ever stop?

And please: spare me the "it happens everywhere"- bs!

In 40 years back home, I haven't read about as many fatal bus- accidents as I have here in the last 3 months.

It IS about how a country enforces laws, how it values education and safety etc.

RIP the victims

Its Thailand though,no big deal.

[brfsa2]

If someone started collecting statistics of accidents and deaths by bus company, people could start choosing the safest company to go with. Could even make the bus companies invest a bit in safety.

ideally would be great, but also note that in many places tourists are ripped off to buy tickets that they cannot chose bus or company.

for example, if you get out of the Train in Surat Thani, they will sell you tickets to go to Krabi for 300 baht and tell you 3 hours trip. Then they will drop you by van on a rip off stop by that sells banana for 60 baht, then 1 hour later drop you at a government really old bus that you have to wait another 1 hour and it will cost 130 Baht if you bought it directly...

in fact you get ripped of from ticket, you go on a very very old bus, and you spend 6 hours in total, instead of 3.

and that happens everywhere, just a small example.

Edited April 8, 2013 by brfsa2

[oops]

As I have said many times, until hey go after the owner of the company for hiring idiots, Then they will keep employing them.

We are the adults and when the life of a child is taken it is truly a sad thing.

[lucky2103]

Just saw the news on TV3.

It was reported that passengers informed the driver that the brakes appear not to work properly - the driver choose not to look into the matter and kept on driving.

[muttley]

If someone started collecting statistics of accidents and deaths by bus company, people could start choosing the safest company to go with. Could even make the bus companies invest a bit in safety.

, people could start choosing the safest company to go with.

There ain't one.

Nakhonchai Air ? http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/468030-nakhonchai-air-bus-types/#entry4426884 for example.

Edited April 8, 2013 by muttley

[ezzra]

This sad and unfortunate toll on life and limbs will be dwarfed by the yearly carnage of Songkran

just around the corner, a yearly homage to the gods of alcohol reckless driving and stupidity.

[HalibutJones]

Just saw the news on TV3.

It was reported that passengers informed the driver that the brakes appear not to work properly - the driver choose not to look into the matter and kept on driving.

Was this before or after he fled the scene? Not that we know if he did, of course, and it's pure speculation and Thai bashing on my part, with no basis whatsoever for the accusation, but let's, for some bizarre reason, assume he fled the scene ... ...

[apetley]

Just saw the news on TV3.

It was reported that passengers informed the driver that the brakes appear not to work properly - the driver choose not to look into the matter and kept on driving.

One has to wonder why anyone who suspected the brakes were faulty stayed on the bus? I for one would have asked to get off as soon as I was aware.

[navara]

I hope this is NO 1th of April joke. But accidents have many causes here;

- bad drivers, no driving skills

- drunk or using other stuff

- animals

- bad roads

- weather

- wrong signs

- bad maintenance

- perhaps a wasp in the cabin, who knows

It seems to be impossible to fight this all. Be careful, that's what I think.

[kjhbigv]

Just saw the news on TV3.

It was reported that passengers informed the driver that the brakes appear not to work properly - the driver choose not to look into the matter and kept on driving.

One has to wonder why anyone who suspected the brakes were faulty stayed on the bus? I for one would have asked to get off as soon as I was aware.

One also has to wonder...how would the passengers know the brakes were not working properly?

[cup-O-coffee]

As I have said many times, until hey go after the owner of the company for hiring idiots, Then they will keep employing them.

We are the adults and when the life of a child is taken it is truly a sad thing.

I believe no one is innocent in this matter, and that includes the owners, the leasing companies who lend out their buses to the owners, the drivers, the mechanics, the passengers and all else. It's their country, remember?

The owners do not seem to care about the others on my list.

The leasing companies as well.

The drivers and mechanics as well.

And the passengers who continually patronize these people when things are not as they should be.

It happens because they all (all) let it happen.

The reasons are purely speculative and opinionated since no one keeps statistics, and if anyone did, then no one could trust them anyhow since they brag all the time about how acceptable it is to flat out lie.

[jack1964]

I did the overnight bus trip, Bangkok to Chiang Mai late last year, and never again will I place my life in the hands of an local bus driver. For the cost of an airfare you'd have to be crazy

to do it. I did it to see the country, albeit at night, but for the adventure of passing through villages etc, but, seen one villiage, seen the all. Our driver was all over the road, and it didnt really help matters that most of the time, he spent looking out the side windows and boy, did he like Tick Tacs. I hope thats what they were anyway. If you value your lives, plain and simple. Dont do a bus trip in dear Thailand. Its just not worth it.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Will this ever stop?

And please: spare me the "it happens everywhere"- bs!

In 40 years back home, I haven't read about as many fatal bus- accidents as I have here in the last 3 months.

It IS about how a country enforces laws, how it values education and safety etc.

RIP the victims

very true, but Thailand is the hub of official white-lies and BS.

[longstebe]

Just saw the news on TV3.

It was reported that passengers informed the driver that the brakes appear not to work properly - the driver choose not to look into the matter and kept on driving.

One has to wonder why anyone who suspected the brakes were faulty stayed on the bus? I for one would have asked to get off as soon as I was aware.

One also has to wonder...how would the passengers know the brakes were not working properly?

That's what I was thinking.

[maidu]

If you happen to be in a bus, and the driver is driving badly or too fast, or appears he's dozing off - there's nothing effective that you, as a farang, can do about it. If you make a comment (not even a complaint) the driver will immediately get offended and probably get angry - along with some Thai words that you won't find in a dictionary. If there are any hostesses there, they will immediately defensive and, without exception, they will tell you "every thing ok. No plobem."

Even if you ask to get off the bus (which I did one time), the driver will not stop, and the hostesses will again shield and make excuses for him.

What happened to the driver, btw? Did he go running of in to the rice paddies?