简体中文
Thailand's Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt on Wednesday ordered tightened safety measures for inter-provincial routes following a deadly bus-truck collision accident in a central province which left 19 people killed and 20 others injured.
Initial investigation found that the 29-year-old truck driver, who was slightly injured and detained for questioning, fell asleep at the wheel and caused the heavy truck to veer off course and hit the two-decker bus which came from the opposition direction.
Chadchat said there was a nationwide shortage of truck drivers because many of them had become passenger van drivers to earn higher incomes, which means they often have to work overtime with few breaks.
The minister said he had ordered the Department of Land Transport to train lorry drivers better and build more rest areas along inter-provincial routes. In addition, Chadchat said coach attendants should inform passengers of emergency exits and the use of window breakers and fire extinguishers before they leave on journeys.
He noted that all the fire extinguishers on the bus were on the lower deck and were not used when the bus burst into flames after being hit by the truck.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand said on Wednesday that two Chinese people were suspected to be among the victims of the deadly bus-truck collision.
Gao Zhenting, Counselor and Consul-General of the embassy, told Xinhua that it was "highly likely" that the two Chinese, one man and one woman, who had lost contact with their friends since Tuesday, were killed in the crash based on their itinerary.
Bodies of all the victims, most of which were burnt beyond recognition, have been sent to the Police General Hospital in Bangkok for identification. The result will come out in about 3 days.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong said on Wednesday that among the 20 injured, only four were still hospitalized and most of them had suffered broken limbs.
The predawn accident on Tuesday occurred on Mitrapap Road in Kaeng Khoy district of Saraburi province. A total of 18 people on the passenger bus, which wa en route from the capital Bangkok to the northeastern Roi et province, were killed at the scene and one other was pronounced dead at hospital. The dead included two drivers of the bus and a 3-year-old child. Thailand has experienced a spate of traffic accidents lately. Earlier this month, a high-speed train derailed near Chiang Mai province, leaving about 30 passengers injured, most of whom were foreigners.
On Monday, a tour bus en route from Bangkok to Phang Nga province crashed into a road barrier and overturned as the driver fell asleep. A total of 22 people aboard were injured.
