Bus from Khon kaen Crashes ,Kills 22..(prachinburi province)

[beer monkey]

22 killed in Thailand bus crash


At least 22 people were killed and 27 others injured when a bus packed with university students and teachers crashed in eastern Thailand.

Police Maj Suchart Yaemsak said the bus was travelling down a steep road with numerous curves when the vehicle slammed into a hillside in Prachinburi province.

He said the initial investigation showed that the bus might have had a brake failure and could not stop on the steep road.

The death toll is expected to increase since a number of the injuries were severe.

The passengers were students and teachers travelling from the north-eastern province of Khon Kaen to Chantanaburi province.

Most of the dead were aged between 20 and 28.

BANGKOK (AFP) — At least 22 people were killed and 27 injured Friday when a bus carrying university students fell down a ravine in eastern Thailand, the public health ministry said.

"There are 22 people dead and 27 injured with mostly broken limbs," the ministry said in a statement.

"The accident may have been caused by the driver, who is presumed killed," local police officer Major Akkapark Jitprayoon told AFP.

He said police suspected the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. The charter bus was carrying students from a technology university in northeastern Khon Kaen province.

They were on a field trip travelling to the coastal province of Chantaburi when the accident happened at 3:30 am (2030 GMT Thursday), 135 kilometres (83 miles) east of Bangkok, police said.

The injured passengers were taken to five nearby hospitals, the provincial health authority said.

[Bandung_Dero]

When will these irresponsible Mother F#&Kers (and I'm talking about the transport authorities) implement the regulations they have been talking about for years. Some ba#tard has go to take these pieces of crap off the road along with their yabba dizzy drivers.

Rant over!

[Aardvark]

Yep, looks like that old Thai recipe of " No maintenance, No Driver training and No local road knowledge " then of course there was the speed factor

[beer monkey]

A lethal combo....

[arjay]

Agree with all the above. When people look at news like this, they rarely stop to consider the implications beyond the numbers, - this means 22 families' lives shattered - all young people too, so sad and I suspect so unnecessary.

[tamada]

That must be on highway 304 through the 'mountains'. I have driven that route maybe a dozen times these past 18 months, both day and night and there's always some truck or bus rolling down the hill on the wrong side, flashing their headlights as if that makes them safer and earns right of way. You see the regular drivers, mostly "Double-A" wood carriers, carefully using their gearboxes for the downhill event but on occasion you see one of those piled into a ditch as well.

[jackspratt]

I think a read of post #29, and a look at the photos on this thread http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/19-Dead-B ... try2272568 is in order.

And then perhaps some reflection is required.

[beer monkey]

"Sh*te"...was my words when i looked at those pics....notice the 'ramp' on the left used for when brakes fail......

EDIT:

I think a read of post #29

Arrr just went back and read this one quoted below..also i think you meant read post no34 and not No29 like i did and just got the pics...which lead me to believe he did not use the ramp.

In fairness to the driver, as much as he's being slammed in here, i drove that route twice this weekend and I saw the bus twice, there is a sign with the indicated escape road for buses and trucks to slow them down in case their brakes fail, and he drove up it like he should have. He did a better job than driving it off the mountain, into a tree, into a wall, or into someone / something else.

So he was awake and aware enough to take the emergency exit (it was the only one on the whole route that I saw), however the bus itself should be in question, why did the brakes fail. Even though these buses 'appear' new from their paint scheme, they are really very very old. like 1980's with a new paint job, if you look at the roof which is usually not painted, it's all rusted up.

Anyway, from driving past it, it really does look like he went up it, then the buss rolled down sideways since the poorly constructed emergency exit is actually flat for the first 10, then banks right for the rest which would have caused any vehicle to flip (as the photos above show). The roads agency should also be looked at for it.

[beer monkey]

I am sure that is the 304...showed it to the Mrs and he also recognizes that actual part with the ramp in it,everytime i have been past it i always tell her what those ramps are for, very windy down hill stretch road .

[jackspratt]

Thanks BM. Actually #29 and 35 together.

cheers

jack

[saint]

as sickened as i am by the senseless loss of so many young lives in this accident , im amazed that there isnt more of them . ive said it many times that i would never get on a bus and put my or anyone else close to me lives in the hand of a thai bus driver . ive had too many close encounters at all hours of the day and night with bus driving suicide jockeys . the only people that drive worse and with less regard for thier or anyone elses lives are mini bus drivers in my opinion .

[38nholding]

[saint]

good impersonation of a thai bus driver there 38 .