Speeding car kills 2 Chinese as Songkran road toll surges

Speeding car kills 2 Chinese as Songkran road toll surges

Two Chinese tourists died after being hit by a speeding car on the last day of Songkran on Wednesday night in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

About 11pm on Wednesday night, Pol Capt Sathid Duangdee, a Muang district policeman, received a call that a car accident had taken place at Phetkasem intersection.

Upon arrival, police found the bodies of two Chinese victims, Shi Chang Wang, 48, and Wo Sue Fong, 69, lying on the road. One was already dead and the other severely injured. Another body, identified as Chang Hong, 64, was later found 2km up the road.

Chang Ching, 26, the son of Shi Chang Wang and nephew of Chang Hong and Wo Sue Fong, said his relatives were visiting Phuket for the Songkran festival.

Afterwards they had planned to go to Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan. They decided to stop for the night while en route to Hua Hin.

After checking in at a roadside hotel, they crossed the street to go to a rice porridge shop. While crossing Phetkasem Road to return to the hotel, a car travelling at high speed slammed into them.

The driver, Thanuwat Chamnij, 56, from Bangkok, was taken for questioning at Muang district police station immediately.

Mr Thanuwat said he was returning from his home in the South. At the accident spot, the traffic light was out of service, forcing him to follow the car in front, at which point the group suddenly appeared on the road ahead. He claimed he did not have enough time to stop. 

Relatives of the dead are now finding a way to transport the two bodies back to China. The bodies are being kept at Prachuap Khiri Khan Hospital, police said.

Mr Thanuwat has been charged with reckless driving resulting in death, and was released on bail yesterday.

Deputy Interior Minister Suthee Makboon revealed that 364 people died this year during the "seven dangerous days" of Songkran, from April 9-15, 42 more deaths than in 2014.

There were 3,373 road accidents resulting in 3,559 injuries, according to Mr Suthee.

Drink driving was the primary cause of road accidents (39%), followed by speeding (24%). Some 81% of accidents involved motorcycles. Both fatalities and injuries have increased from previous years, he said.

The most road accidents were recorded in Phitsanulok (141), whereas Surin had the highest number of injured (152 with 16 deaths), he said.

No deaths were reported in Phuket, Mae Hong Son, Yala, Samut Songkhram or Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan did not even have any reported injuries.

Despite stricter driving measures, road safety did not improve from last year due to "an increased number of cars and tourists found in every part of Thailand", said Mr Suthee, who added that tropical storms were another factor leading to the higher number.

Prime Minister's Office Minister Panadda Diskul stressed that though Songkran is over, measures to bring down the death toll from road accidents still need to be implemented.

The Ministry of Public Health worked to speed up emergency responses through its hotline service, Minister Rajata Rajatanavin said.

"During the seven dangerous days, people called hotline No.1669 for help and victims were sent to hospitals," he said.

The ministry, in coordination with local officials, also set up community checkpoints to prevent drink driving in one-third of villages nationwide, he said.

"In 10 provinces, our 206 checkpoints had no fatalities from car accidents. Only minor injuries were reported. Volunteers worked 24 hours at the checkpoints," Mr Rajata said.

The volunteers helped the elderly drink drivers out of their cars and send them home safely, he explained.

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