Songkran road accidents claim 114 lives

Songkran road accidents claim 114 lives

People enjoy splashing water in Muang district of Phitsanulok on Songkran Day on Thursday. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)
People enjoy splashing water in Muang district of Phitsanulok on Songkran Day on Thursday. (Photo: Chinnawat Singha)

Road accidents during the Songkran long holiday have claimed 114 lives and injured 1,064 people nationwide, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Boontham Lertsukheekasem, director-general of the department, said on Friday that from Tuesday to Thursday there were 1,055 traffic accidents in which 114 people were killed and 1,064 others were injured.

The most accidents (38) happened in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Bangkok recorded the highest death toll, nine, and Chiang Mai and the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat had the highest number of injured people at 40 each, Mr Boontham said.

On Thursday alone there were 437 traffic accidents, 49 related deaths and 448 injured people.

The most common cause of the accidents was speed limit violation which resulted in 37% of all traffic accidents, followed by drink driving which caused 29% of the accidents. Seventy-nine percent of the accidents involved motorcycles, Mr Boontham said.

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