At least 27 dead in north Thailand bus accident: police

[chainarong]

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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

U summed it up pretty well and the decline started in 2006.

[Arjay]

Its deteriorating into a 3rd world country..

Thailand is a 3rd world country or better word "developing" country.

[smileydude]

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.

Where are you from? Thailand is considered an upper middle income country. They no longer receive funding assistance from organizations like the ADB because they are not considered under-developed which is synonymous with the definition of 3rd world.

The World Bank classifies all low- and middle-income countries as developing.

Low income countries had GNI per capita of US$1,026 or less.

Lower middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$1,026 and US$4,036.

Upper middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$4,036 and US$12,476.

High income countries had GNI above US$12,476.

According to the UN's human development index (HDI) Thailand is considered upper mid level.

Mid level development examples are Cambodia, Bhutan and Laos. Low development examples are Pakistan, Burma and Nepal.

Saying Thailand is a 3rd world country based on traffic accidents is clearly taking it out of context.

Get your facts straight before denigrating a country otherwise you look pretty 3rd world yourself.

Edited March 25, 2014 by smileydude

[deecee10]

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.

Fools indeed. The locals appear to accept the risk as 'normal' especially when you see the dreadful standard of all aspects of road safety practised by Thais in general.

From a Western perspective it is sad to see these young backpackers, travelling on a budget, using buses without perhaps really being aware of the inate risks involved. The truth is there is a mass cover up by the authorities for the sake of the reputation of tourism. They should be fixing the problem not covering it up.

[Briggsy]

I bet the brakes did not fail. I bet somebody is lying.

[Yunla]

RIP to the many poor people who died in this tragedy. My prayers are with their families, and with the injured who I hope will recover as quickly and comfortably as possible.

Regulating physical safety standards of both roads and vehicles, and strictly regulating driver proficiency standards, remains a critical priority for whichever politician gets to wear the shiny hat next time round. These things are not a luxury that can be opted out of or shelved, they are an exigent obligation.

[SaamBaht]

Looking for a crackdown. How is it a man can get twenty years for a joint and nothing for driving drunk???

[kingalfred]

Have a look at the tread(or lack of) on many buses and white vans in Thailand and you will see what regulation enforcement there is ,Zilch!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited March 25, 2014 by kingalfred

[LuckyLew]

mai en rai ... no Thais seem to care so why should I?

you would never catch me on one of thoser over night buses thru the mountain ... or a VIP van ... or a train ...

[IamNoone88]

It's an attitude of "it won't happen to me". That is why we see so many accidents without a motorcycle helmet, so many brake failures that were never regularly checked and tyres that are run until they burst. I would not doubt, the coach was even insured. Bottom-line is that this could have been a very preventable accident and that is the tragedy.

[seajae]

starting to think that "the brakes failed" is another way of saying the driver was speeding, any way the busses in Thailand dont have brakes, that would cost the owners of them money so its easier just to leave them out . What ever happened to the "we are going to do something about this", more lies from the govt.

[Lee4Life]

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

I agree....I would bet that the brakes on these "brake failure" bus and truck crashes were fine until they were ridden into failure by the drivers. On most of the mountain highways here you can smell the smoking brakes of the trucks and buses long before you can ever see them. So what is the remedy? It would seem that educating the drivers would be the best way to avoid this, but this is much easier said than done.

So sorry that people have to go through such grief and suffering, thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families.

[attento]

It starts at the top. Any responsible government has a duty to care for the safety of the people. Pass legislation to improve their safety, and ensure the Laws are enforced.

Has the last government done that ? Demonstrably No

Will the next government do it? Probably not

Lack of responsible government. That is the real sadness at the heart of Thailand.

[juleschiangrai]

It is really sad to keep reading all of the news about these accidents.. RIP to the victims.

In canada the police/government make insane amounts of money with inforcing road rules. The amount of money they bring in is absolutley incredible. In quebec at least. For a country with such a money hungry government and even more so a money starving police force/farce you would think they would get on inforcing road rules and doing proper traffic laws to start making abundant amounts of cash. Most of the tickets we get in quebec or canada shall I say, the average person cant even afford to pay.

I guess it is just easier to go from shop to shop and pick up the boost once a month and forget about the safety of the citizens.

[webfact]

UPDATE:

At least 32 killed in a bus accident in Tak last night

BANGKOK: -- At least 32 passengers died and many others were injured when their rented bus plunged into a ravine in Tak’s Muang district last night.

Police were alerted at about 7.30pm that a bus slided off AH12 Highway and fall into a 30-metre ravine. Twenty-eight passengers died at the scene while the four others were pronounced dead at a hospital.

Initial investigation showed that the passengers were local officials and the elderly from Tasailuad Tambon Municipality in Tak’s Mae Sot district and on their way to Ubon Ratchathani province and will cross the border to Laos.

They just left Tasailuad at about 6pm and had the accident about one hour and a half later.

-- The Nation 2014-03-25

[delgarcon]

"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."

To put this into perspective, this equates to more than 20,000 deaths in the UK, more than 30000 in Germany and more than 110,000 in the USA! It's almost as bad as a small war and still the authorities do nothing. No tachometers, no speed cameras, no regular mechanical checks enforced, no medical requirements for drivers, no compulsory seat belts etc etc...and as somebody else said, it seems that even the locals don't care!

Edited March 25, 2014 by delgarcon

[al007]

Thailand needs to address these problems they are usually caused by human error

I have a camera in my toyota to show how bad the driving is and hopefully help if I am in an accident

These problems could be solved if all busses and minivans had tachometers and cameras fitted

Then stringent jail sentences handed out to the beneficial owners of the vehicles, the company directors and the drivers

It may take time but three years in jail for each death will soon begin to get the message across, especially when it is the owners, and the fat cats profiteering

Strong language but things need to change, of course the children of the politicians do not travel by bus

[webfact]

30 die in Mae Sot bus plunge



BANGKOK: -- A chartered double-deck bus with about 50 retired local government officials careered off the hilly road from Mae Sot to Tak and plunged into a steep ravine, killing 30 and injuring 20 others Monday night.

The bus is among four buses which was on a four-day excursion from Tak province to Ubon Ratchathani and Laos during March 24-27.

Most of the passengers are all aged and retired local government officials of Tha Sailuad municipality in Mae Sot district.

The tragic accident happened in between Kilometer markers 67 and 68 of Highway 12 from Tak to Mae Sot which is a four kilometer hilly stretch.

The bus belongs to Chongcharoen Capital Co Ltd and is at the rear of a convoy of four buses driving downhill on the hilly road.

The bus driver identified as Thammanoon Kadpho, 40, was injured. He reportedly told rescue workers last night that the bus developed braking failure when it was sliding downhill uncontrollably.

The bus then rammed into the railing barricade at a curve and fell into the 100-meter deep ravine.

Most passengers were thrown out of the bus while it fell at the bottom of the ravine. Many were also trapped and killed inside the badly damaged bus.

Rescue workers reported difficulty in climbing down the rope to reach the fatal bus and rescue the injured passengers up from the ravine. Several bodies were scattered at the scene and it took rescue workers several hours to collect all bodies to one place.

They collected 27 bodies and helped all the 24 injured out of the bus and sent to Somdet Phra Yuparaj hospital in Tak. Three injured passengers died later at hospital.

Meanwhile caretaker Transport Minister Chadchat Suttipun said Tuesday that the accident happened at the downhill stretch which the Highway Department has improved it to “climbing lane” with a three-lane traffic.

He said the bus driver attempted to overtake another car at the curve, but skidded off the road.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/30-die-mae-sot-bus-plunge/


-- Thai PBS 2014-03-25

[Artisi]

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

No argument from me - just a few more words.

"brake failure" is just another excuse - nothing more.

It's not brake failure but outright driver failure, stupidity, inexperience, etc.

Fitting tachographs doesn't fix the problem, it just allows the investigators (if interested) to establish the events leading up to the problem.

[Artisi]

I bet the brakes did not fail. I bet somebody is lying.

The brakes probably did fail - a result of complete driver failure.

[rotorbreeze]

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

http://www.nation.com.pk/international/25-Mar-2014/at-least-27-dead-in-north-thailand-bus-accident

Edited March 25, 2014 by rotorbreeze

[mrjonyoung]

I was just on that road and it is frighting. If I was the driver it would have been fine but I dont like putting my life in the hands of some unknown Thai dude. FYI: they put run-away-truck barriers there for a reason. In extreme mountainous areas like that, brakes fail. They have run-away ramps all over the place where I am from in Pennsylvania and they get used. It's not Thailand. It's got to do with physics.

Edited March 25, 2014 by mrjonyoung

[oldsailor35]

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.

Where are you from? Thailand is considered an upper middle income country. They no longer receive funding assistance from organizations like the ADB because they are not considered under-developed which is synonymous with the definition of 3rd world.

The World Bank classifies all low- and middle-income countries as developing.

Low income countries had GNI per capita of US$1,026 or less.

Lower middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$1,026 and US$4,036.

Upper middle income countries had GNI per capita between US$4,036 and US$12,476.

High income countries had GNI above US$12,476.

According to the UN's human development index (HDI) Thailand is considered upper mid level.

Mid level development examples are Cambodia, Bhutan and Laos. Low development examples are Pakistan, Burma and Nepal.

Saying Thailand is a 3rd world country based on traffic accidents is clearly taking it out of context.

Get your facts straight before denigrating a country otherwise you look pretty 3rd world yourself.

Average income does not tell you how many millionaires there are. So how can you really measure where the country is without these figures. Suggest you go back, eliminate the millionaires and then tell us that Thailand is not third world. Get your facts right !

[TechnikaIII]

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.

When I first arrived, and had my first experience of a speeding van, likening it to "pod racing" (Star Wars) ... I said to my gf (now ex gf) .. that I will take the train next time, because the van drivers are lunatics. She stared blankly. The next week there was a fatal crash, total disintegration of vehicle, all dead. The images showed a mess of metal and flesh, with a pool of vehicle and human body fluids.

I showed her the pictures.

She looked and said: "Van to Takhli?"

My reply: "No"

Her final comment: "Why you worry?!" ... bored with my concern.

[oldsailor35]

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.

Same old story "Brake failure" i am inclined to err on the side of "Driver Failure"

[hullupullo]

Brake failure?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=389360497873779&set=a.138040383005793.33007.100003994950023&type=3&theater


http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/30-die-mae-sot-bus-plunge/

Meanwhile caretaker Transport Minister Chadchat Suttipun said Tuesday that the accident happened at the downhill stretch which the Highway Department has improved it to “climbing lane” with a three-lane traffic.

He said the bus driver attempted to overtake another car at the curve, but skidded off the road.

Edited March 25, 2014 by hullupullo

[oldsailor35]

mai en rai ... no Thais seem to care so why should I?

you would never catch me on one of thoser over night buses thru the mountain ... or a VIP van ... or a train ...

Did it once from Buri Ram to Pattaya. Everybody but me in the bus were asleep and that included the driver. I kept poking him as he nodded off. He threatened to put me off the bus...........Never again !

[nomimusic]

Tak Province had a very bad night last night as the Mae La refugee camp in Tak had a fire in which 20 people perished. What a tough hit for one community, as it sounds like most of the bus passengers were from Tak also.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/713526-fire-at-a-tak-refugee-camp-reportedly-kills-at-least-21-last-night/?utm_source=newsletter-20140325-0807&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

[oldsailor35]

It is really sad to keep reading all of the news about these accidents.. RIP to the victims.

In canada the police/government make insane amounts of money with inforcing road rules. The amount of money they bring in is absolutley incredible. In quebec at least. For a country with such a money hungry government and even more so a money starving police force/farce you would think they would get on inforcing road rules and doing proper traffic laws to start making abundant amounts of cash. Most of the tickets we get in quebec or canada shall I say, the average person cant even afford to pay.

I guess it is just easier to go from shop to shop and pick up the boost once a month and forget about the safety of the citizens.

You dont get tickets in Los, they just demand cash to be divided up back at the station.

[stickylies]

Failed state.

Thainess.