At least 27 dead in north Thailand bus accident: police

BANGKOK, March 25, 2014 (AFP) - At least 27 people died and more than 20 others were injured late Monday when a bus careered off a hillside road and into a ravine in northern Thailand, police told AFP.

Thailand's roads are among the world's deadliest and accidents are common, especially on buses travelling late at night.

"The toll is now at 27 dead and 24 injured -- they are severely injured from what I can see," police captain Sittichai Panyasong of Mae Tho district in Tak province said, revising up an earlier toll.

The accident took place at around 8:40 pm local time (1340 GMT) in Tak, which borders Myanmar, as several buses ferried Thai local government workers to neighbouring provinces for a field trip.

"The brakes failed as the bus came downhill on a hilly road and it crashed through the concrete barrier and fell into 150 metre-deep ravine," Sittichai added.

The victims are mainly believed to be local government officials, but a child was also among the injured, he said.

A spokeswoman at a local hospital, declining to be named, confirmed the death toll at 27 adding more than 20 were injured and that she too believed there were children on board, but could not say if any were among the dead.

Thailand's roads are among the most dangerous in the world.

A recent report by the World Health Organization said Thailand saw 38.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2010 -- behind only the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and the South Pacific island of Niue.

That compares with an average of 18.5 per 100,000 in Southeast Asia as a whole.

At least 13 school children died last month when their bus collided with a lorry on trip to the seaside south of Bangkok.

The students, aged around 10 to 14 years old, were heading to the resort city of Pattaya from the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Officials say roughly 60 percent of traffic accidents in Thailand are caused by human error, with poor road and vehicle conditions posing additional hazards.

Alcohol also plays a significant role, particularly around national holidays including the Thai new year holiday of Songkran in mid-April, when millions of revellers return to their homes across the country.

Those who cannot afford to fly have little choice but to use the roads in country where the rail infrastructure remains weak.

Hundreds die on the roads every Songkran, despite nationwide campaigns to prevent drink driving.

Bus operators are required to provide seat belts but passengers are not legally obliged to use them.

In December dozens of people were killed when a bus carrying New Year travellers plunged off one of Thailand's highest bridges in the kingdom's northeast.

At least 20 people were killed in October when a tour bus carrying elderly Buddhist devotees fell into a ravine, also in the northeast.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-25

What a shame. Seems like it is just daily routine news these days. You read the news and just see another bus, van car accident taken lives. RIP

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

Why why why ???

More needless deaths !!

RIP

Another tragedy and yet again no reaction from authorities. I do not work for Fox news but I am not shy to say SHAME ON YOU THAILAND.

Again, again and again: No control + no authority + no standard + failed State + No police + corruption + laxity = TOTAL ANARCHY!

* Road Safety

* Tourism scams

* Poor Construction Standards

* Food poisoning (by abuse of chemicals and pesticides)

* Pollution (Oil slicks, illegal dumps etc...)

And so on and so on, just name it.

Thailand DECADENCE

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Brake failure, failure to brake, all same same.

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Into...???

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Into...???

.....a banana republic?

So sad. RIP the victims.

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Where are you from - Thailand is a 3rd world country! It's only smoke and mirrors that gives the impression that it is 2nd world - anyone that thinks it is 1st world has mental health issues.

Thailand's roads are among the most dangerous in the world

What a statement that is. It's not about unqualified drivers, not, or a bad maintenance of vehicles, ignorance, speeding and drunk drivers, without a license (to kill), corrupt police that oversees everything when getting money for it. Etc...

It's all the roads fault. Rest in Peace, hope not many will die in the hospitals.

Another day and another tragic bus accident with multiple fatalities. How many per day do they have now? Only a fool would get onto a bus in Thailand.

And there is no public anger,outrage and demand for action by those who "regulate" vehicle/road issues. But as with so many issues in the country it's just an acceptance of "thats the way things are" in a country that has a distinct talent for being unable to progress.

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Wake the f up Thailand.

Just another day here. So sad.

Saw a mini van crash on Facebook today, maybe 1 or two lived, but the rest were dead and tossed all over the road and the van was broken into 100s of little parts like legos. Didn't even make the news, but an eye witness caught it on video and put it on his facebook account. At least 6 - 8 are dead, horribly, and it wasn't even news worthy. THAT is how bad the roads are here, that they can't even report on all the carnage.

Failed state.

Where was that mini van crash?

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Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

You're giving them far too much credit . . .

At least 32 people dead, 20 more injured late Monday as bus careered off hillside road into ravine in Tak /MCOT

One death is a tragedy, thirty-two is a statistic.

Thailand's roads are among the most dangerous in the world

What a statement that is. It's not about unqualified drivers, not, or a bad maintenance of vehicles, ignorance, speeding and drunk drivers, without a license (to kill), corrupt police that oversees everything when getting money for it. Etc...

It's all the roads fault. Rest in Peace, hope not many will die in the hospitals.

I thinks its a general statement, as to road traffic accidents/ deaths, not that the road surface condition/layout is poor, 99% of 'accidents' are caused by driver error/stupidacy/speed

Government officials, maybe this will cause some real action to be taken for once instead of the usual PR which is put out. RIP

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

its already a 3rd world country ....

Never seen a country where brakes fail so much,am sure pads , discs an fluid were checked regularly eh?

You gotta be joking "nothing is checked regularly"

Coupled with just 'get your self a rag and a shifting spanner and you a mechanic'

TIT

another normal day in the LOS ... RIP

I've been passed by those convoy busses and it's really scary. They're like dinosaurs in a stampede. God forbid you make a bad decision to move out of their way at the same time they take it into their own hands to pass you. They are super aggressive and dangerous.

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

You're giving them far too much credit . . .

My sentiments exactly. But when they are told from the time they can crawl 'that they are the master race' there is no incentive for them to improve

brakes fail on heavy vehicles especially when abused on down hill runs, instead of using engine braking, fools and the uneducated abuse the brakes, understanding thai drivers need to race leads them to race from corner to corner continually using the brakes until they fade,,,no more brakes

I dont think Thai drivers ,not only bus drivers know you should save

your brakes going down hills by using your gears.

Using the brakes to slow down while descending any kind of gradient

is a no no,the heat builds up and the brakes fail when you need them,

brakes need to be cool as possible to work properly.but this is Thailand

an unfortunately this will not be the last bus crash,they go to fast,and

don't seem to know how to control a vehicle properly,do they have

Tachographs fitted in buses ?, if not they should,it would tell how many

hours the driver had been at the wheel,the speed and lots of other things.

regards Worgeordie