40 dead, 323 injured on Day 3 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’

Thailand saw 331 road accidents, resulting in 40 deaths and 323 injuries on Wednesday, Day 3 of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran holiday. The main causes of road accidents yesterday were the same as the previous two days, namely speeding and drink driving, according to data provided by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

Since the start of Songkran, there have been a total of 869 accidents, resulting in 113 deaths and 835 injuries, according to the Ministry of Transportation. From Monday to Wednesday, Samut Sakhon had the most deaths with 6. The southern province of Nakon Si Thammarat had the most injuries, with 36, and tied with Khon Kaen for the most accidents, with 33 each.

As most travellers have already arrived at their destinations for the holiday, the main focus now has moved to reducing traffic accidents on secondary roads, according to Boontham Lertsukheekasem, director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. He predicted that there would be more accidents on smaller routes until people travel back to their normal lives at the end of Songkran later this weekend.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post