One killed, 19 hurt when bus carrying students overturns

One killed, 19 hurt when bus carrying students overturns

A tour bus carrying 36 students from Hat Yai in Songkhla to attend a math camp in Bangkok overturns in Lang Suan district, Chumphon, on Tuesday, killing one bus staffer and injuring 19 people, including 18 students. (Photo taken from @tongsiasiangtueng rescue foundation Facebook)
A tour bus carrying 36 students from Hat Yai in Songkhla to attend a math camp in Bangkok overturns in Lang Suan district, Chumphon, on Tuesday, killing one bus staffer and injuring 19 people, including 18 students. (Photo taken from @tongsiasiangtueng rescue foundation Facebook)

CHUMPHON: A bus staffer was killed and 19 people — 18 school students and the driver — injured when a tour bus carrying students from Hat Yai to attend a mathematic camp in Bangkok hit a roadside tree and overturned in Lang Suan district of this southern province.

The crash happened at kilometre makers 56-57 on Bangkok-bound Asia 41 Road in tambon Na Kha at around noon, said Pol Col Manot Plodkhan-ngoen, deputy investigation chief at Ban Nai Hood police station in Lang Suan district.

Police and rescue workers rushing to the scene found a male teenager dead and 19 others, mostly school boys and girls, hurt and trapped in the wreckage. All were retrieved and sent to a nearby hospital, Thai media reported.

The dead teenager was later identified as Prompiriya Semneng, 17, a bus staffer. The injured were 18 students and the bus driver, said police.

The 18 students — 12 girls and six boys — were from Hat Yai Witthaya 2 School in Songkhla.

Jiraphat Kueakul, a math teacher at the school, told police that the school had rented two tour buses to take 72 Mathayom Suksa 1 students to attend the math camp at Siam Park City amusement park in  Bangkok. Each bus carried 36 students and three teachers.

The buses left Hat Yai at about 5am on Tuesday. The bus that got involved in the accident was the first one, said police.

Driver Warodom Chudrung, 27, who was among the injured, told police that he felt sleepy while driving and tried to drive to a rest area. However, he did not know when he fell asleep at the wheel and woke up when the bus hit a tree and overturned.

Police held the driver in custody on charges of reckless driving causing death and injuries.

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