Songkran road toll rises to 282
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A total of 29 people were killed and 291 road accidents occurred on Monday, the sixth of the seven dangerous Songkran holidays, a deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said Tuesday.
Chatpong Chatputi, deputy director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said 308 people were injured in the 291 road accidents on Monday, a day which saw millions of people returning to Bangkok after the long Songkran break.
Chatpong said a total of 2,872 road accidents were recorded over the six-day period and the accumulated death toll rose to 282 while 3,059 people were injured.
Chatpong said 27 people were killed in the accidents on Monday and two other victims succumbed to injuries from earlier accidents.
Those killed on Monday included victims in Chiang Rai, Tak, Ratchaburi, Saraburi, and Udon Thani. These provinces saw two deaths each, Chatpong said.
Compared with last year, the number of death victims on the sixth day increased by 53 while the number of injured victims dropped by 113.
Chatpong said drunk driving remained the top cause of road accidents. He said about 36 per cent of the accidents on Monday were caused by drunk driving.
He said it was too soon to conclude that the measures to prevent road accidents on Songkran holidays had failed as the authorities have yet to analyse the data of the accidents.
