Songkran death toll surpasses 200

BANGKOK, April 15 (TNA) -- Fifty seven people were killed in road accidents across Thailand on the fourth day of 2017 Songkran Festival’s “seven dangerous days”, bringing the death toll to 226, as the authorities reportedly seized 3,460 vehicles from drunk drivers. Transport Minister Arkom Termpittayapaisith said there were a total of 642 road accidents, leading to 57 fatalities and 664 injuries, on April 14, marking the fourth day of the so-called seven dangerous days, which continues until Monday. The accidents mainly resulted from driving under the influence of alcohol, accounting for 44.08 per cent. The Road Safety Center reported that the accumulated number of road accidents from April 11 to 14 reached 2,385, killing 226 people and injuring 2,457 in total. Chiang Mai recorded the highest numbers of the accidents at 114 and injuries at 119, while Nakhon Ratchasima saw the largest number of deaths at 13. Over the past four days, driving at high speeds was the major cause of the deaths, accounting for 51 per cent. The authorities have therefore instructed local officers to tighten traffic regulations at all checkpoints nationwide, especially on April 16 and 17, during which most of people are slated to return to the capital Bangkok. Meanwhile, Col Sirichan Nga-thong, deputy spokeswoman of the National Council for Peace and Order, said the authorities impounded 2,633 motorcycles and 827 cars, and seized 11,862 driving licenses from drunk drivers over the past three days. Also, more than 200,000 traffic violators were caught. (TNA)