Two dead and many injured in Chumphon tour bus crash

A tour bus and a truck carrying rubber wood logs collided yesterday, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries. The collision took place in Chumphon province, causing significant disruption and distress.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Somboon Phumkajorn of Tha Sae Police Station reported the incident happened at 10.30pm. The tour bus, operated by Sombat Tour travelling from Bangkok to Ranong, collided with a Hino truck at a U-turn on Phetkasem Road, near the Khao Phang Highway Police Station in Tha Kham subdistrict, Tha Sae district, Chumphon province.

Emergency services from Chumphon Khet Udomsak Hospital, Tha Sae Hospital, Thonburi-Chumphon Hospital, and rescue units from Chumphon Charitable Foundation rushed to the bus crash. The bus had 28 people on board, including 24 passengers, two drivers, and two hostesses. The front of the bus was destroyed, with debris and rubber wood logs scattered across the road.

The bus driver, identified as Thanakorn Uang-ngan was found deceased at the wheel, crushed during the impact. A female bus hostess, seated near the front, also succumbed to her injuries. Rescue workers used hydraulic cutters to extract the bodies from the wreckage.

Further investigation revealed two Isuzu D-Max pick-up trucks were involved in the aftermath of the collision. The first, driven by 45 year old Sornchat Setthaphakinkin, a resident of Nakatam subdistrict, Chumphon, collided with the rear of the tour bus after the crash. The second, another Isuzu D-Max, was unable to brake in time and crashed into the first pick-up truck. The drivers of both pick-up trucks were unharmed.

The 42 year old truck driver, Manoch Noijiew, transporting the rubber wood logs from Pakchan subdistrict, Kra Buri district, Ranong to Trang province, stated he had signalled properly before making the U-turn to refuel.

“I had given all the necessary signals but as I was making the U-turn, I heard a loud crash.”

Sornchat, the driver of the first pick-up truck, explained he was travelling in the left lane at a normal speed of approximately 80 kilometres per hour.

“The accident happened very quickly. The bus collided with the truck, and the next thing I knew, there was a wheel blocking my path.”

Police are currently gathering witness statements and physical evidence from the scene to determine the exact cause of the bus crash. The exact number of injured individuals is still being verified, with many having been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.