Mae Hong Son:- A passenger van from Chiang Mai heading to Pai district in Mae Hong Son overturned on a mountainous road Thursday after noon, killing one and injuring 14 others. Several western tourists were among the injured, police said.

Pol Capt Pichit Sekha, the interrogator on duty of Pai police station, was alerted of the accident at 2:35 pm. He was told that the accident happened at the kilometer marker No 81 on the Chiang Mai-Pai Road. He rushed to the scene with rescue officials.

Pichit and the rescue officials found 14 Thai and foreign tourists crying for help at the scene. They came out of the van to wait for help on the road. Many had bleeding wounds. Two passengers were badly injured while a person was killed. The van, which is a shuttle passenger vehicle between Chiang Mai and Pai, was lying on one side in the bush off the road.

Officials rushed the injured passengers to the Pai district hospital.

The passengers told police that when the van was approaching the sharp curve, the van lost control and overturned. Police suspected that van driver might doze off, leading to the accident.

The van No 19 operates under the concession from Prem Pracha Transport Co Ltd. It left Chiang Mai at noon. The accident happened just three kilometers before the Mae Ping forestry checkpoint.

Several road accidents happened on the roads between Chiang Mai and Pai because the roads were built on steep mountains.

Police said accidents happened on the Pai-Chiang Mai Road the rate of two accidents each day. The rate was higher during the rainy season.

So what happened to the driver, did he bolt?

I'm surprised these things even make the news anymore.

Hundreds are killed and maimed everyday & it will never change as absolutely nobody gives a sh1t.

Improper tire inflation, combined with speed, 90% of the problems.

Dozing off at 230pm?

Alcohol 99%

How is it possible to doze off on the Chiang Mai to Pai road?

So what happened to the driver, did he bolt?

Good god, no, he's still sleeping.

"several road accidents happened on the roads between CM and pai because the roads were built on steep mountains" .....

Should be speed controls. Very twisty road. They drive like maniacs.

Vans, buses, motorbikes, cars ..... Accident Accident Accident! What kind of vehicle is safe to travel here! Tank?

Police interrogator investigating accidents? What... Force confessions from farang victims that it was their fault?

At last some good news, the braked didn't fail.

My guess reckless driving...Safety just not in their vocab or behavior

I wonder who was killed? Why wasn't the forestry center contacted to speed up victim recovery and transport?

CB

Photos CM 108. http://www.cm108.com/bbb/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=4793

'.....when the van was approaching the sharp curve, the van lost control and overturned.'

There's the villain, the van was driving itself, presumably because the driver was asleep.

Perhaps he thought he was driving an automatic.

Should be speed controls. Very twisty road. They drive like maniacs.

Maniacs will drive like maniacs and trafficpolice is fast asleep doing nothing - innocent people killed by these trafficmurderers in minivans, Amazing Thailand

This is the norm in Thailand, so so dangerous out there...

Puts me off driving ... Full Stop...

Vans really give me the creeps. Not only the thought of being a passenger in one of them but even when I see one of them in my mirror advancing on me and inevitably tailgating

Vans really give me the creeps. Not only the thought of being a passenger in one of them but even when I see one of them in my mirror advancing on me and inevitably tailgating

Tend to agree, so many times on the road to Pai (going or returning) there are streams of Vans a breakneck speeds as if racing. Corners are cut, overtaking on blind bends. I don't use them and get out of their way when I come across them.

so it's just as I always thought- it's the fault of the mountains and steep roads, well what can you do!

"Several road accidents happened on the roads between Chiang Mai and Pai because the roads were built on steep mountains"

When I nearly had an accident at 17 I told my Dad that the corner was too tight, he replied words to the effect that the corner had been there for a long time and the speed I was driving at was the fault not the corner.

Dont blame steep mountains, the mountains (more or less) stay the same, its the speed the cretins drive at that is the problem, alongside the excuses made and accepted for the accidents.

Ive got a video on youtube of 7 vans being driven by complete morons on the way up to pai. They were all staying inches away from each others bumpers and cutting every corner or overtaking on blind bends. I was stuck behind them for quite a few bends until i got the chance to pass, and i had to do all 7 as there wasnt a gap big enough to fit my bike into.

I would not want to ride in 1 of those.

I took a van from Bangkok (mo chit station) to Rayong yesterday. As we left the station, the driver made 4 other stops in bangkok...picking up additional passengers...and freight! They crammed in piles of boxes until just about every available inch was used up. It took four attempts to close the sliding door because of all the stock. I almost stormed out of the van as I was worried about being trapped inside in case of an accident. Never again am I taking a van! Either a vip bus, private car or taxi for me!

doze of at 2 pm ?????????????

Should be speed controls. Very twisty road. They drive like maniacs.

No, they ARE maniacs and never learned driving properly. (our neighbour is driving since 8 years, never passed a test because "takes too much time")

Any questions?

Every GD Van that carries tourist should have a tracking device that would send information about these ASS CLOWN <deleted> for brains (Thai Men) who think that they are even the least bit intelligent.

Sack 90% of the Thai men who provide any type of commuter operations and this problem would end tomorrow.

And these ashy skinned needle dicks have the nerve to call us Buffalo's....

"...ashy skinned needle dicks..."

Almost a Shakespearean insult but not quite.

How is it possible to doze off on the Chiang Mai to Pai road?

Right. We have done the trip 3 times this year...(my wife owns a resort in Mae Hong Son and we stop over in Pai). I never even think about dozing...just too many curves going on. There are plenty of rest stops. My bet was the driver was speeding...as they all do...and not worrying about the curves at all.

These darn brake pads from China....

And of all those tourists travelling in the van I guarantee that they are clueless to the death toll rate of buses and these small coffin dodgers.

They buy their lonely planet books and research where they want to go but no research has been done regarding the dangers of these death traps.

I got completely slagged off many times when trying to give advice to tourists about travelling in these things only to be told "Oh shut up" and stop being so negative.

I tried to no avail to prevent people taking these things but my advice was worthless on deaf ears and people that think they know better.

Ive got a video on youtube of 7 vans being driven by complete morons on the way up to pai. They were all staying inches away from each others bumpers and cutting every corner or overtaking on blind bends. I was stuck behind them for quite a few bends until i got the chance to pass, and i had to do all 7 as there wasnt a gap big enough to fit my bike into.

I would not want to ride in 1 of those.

Can you post the link to it please?

I'm astonished every time I see one of these buses.

How they get 15 people in this bus, plus their baggage?