6 days of Songkran exodus see 243 killed, 1,837 injured in 1,811 road accidents
The sixth of Songkran’s so-called “7 dangerous days” had recorded 243 road deaths and 1,837 injured persons in 1,811 road accidents nationwide.
The cumulative figures, counted from April 11 to 16, were announced by the road safety centre at the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department on Wednesday. The centre was formed to monitor road accidents from April 11 to 17 when most Thais travelled back to their provinces to celebrate Songkran and later returned for work or study.
On Tuesday alone, which was the last of the five-day break, 242 road accidents took place, killing 32 and injuring 237 people.
Motorcycles were involved in most (84.90%) of the accidents, the centre said.
On Tuesday, Phrae recorded the highest number of accidents (13) and the highest number of injured persons (18).
After six days, only nine out of 77 provinces had seen no road fatalities, the centre added.
Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, Chiang Rai had seen the highest number of road accidents (71) and deaths (15), while Phrae reported the most injuries (68).
Deputy Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob, who chaired the press conference on Wednesday, said most people had returned to their residences by Tuesday, but the authorities will be monitoring the roads for another day when the rest of the holidaymakers are expected to return.
