CHAIYAPHUM: All passengers on board two inter-provincial buses narrowly escaped death when one of the vehicles skidded off the slippery road, crashed into roadside barriers and overturned, sending broken concrete flying into the windscreen of another bus on Sunday night.
Nine passengers on board the Chaiyaphum-bound bus were hurt in the accident reported at 9.50pm on Chaiyaphum-Sikhiu Road in Noen Sa-nga district, near a bridge over the Chi River, said Pol Capt Ong-ard Lekkla, deputy investigation chief at Noen Sa-nga police station.
The impact of the first bus crashing nto the roadside barriers sent slabs of broken concrete flying through the air, and several smashed the windscreen of the other bus coming from the opposite direction at the time.
More than 30 passengers were on board the second bus, travelling from Loei to Bangkok, but despite panicked screams, all escaped unhurt.
Rescue workers retrieved nine injured passengers from the wreckage of the first bus and rushed them to Chaiyaphum Hospital.
Broken concrete barriers are seen on a road in Chaiyaphum. (Photo by Makkawan Wannakul)
Supote Mankham, village head of Khong Yang village in this northeastern province and a witness to the incident, told police that he and his relatives were returning from a funeral rite during heavy rain. He saw the first bus heading towards downtown Chaiyaphum skid off the road at the bend and smash into the concrete barriers dividing the road.
Fearing the bus might have crash head-on with his pickup truck, he swerved away, hitting pieces of broken concrete barriers and the wreckage of the bus that burst two of his tyres.
He then rushed to help the injured from the bus and alerted police.
Saneh Nutpiraen, driver of the second bus, said he was en route from Loei bus terminal to Bangkok. He saw the first bus start skidding on a bend during a downpour, and feared it would crash into his own bus; instead, it hit the concrete barriers and overturned.
The impact sent pieces of broken concrete flying into the windscreen of his bus. After pulling over and checking his passengers were safe, he arranged for another bus to take the passengers to Bangkok.