SURAT THANI: A tour bus returning from Betong District, Yala Province, tragically lost control and collided with a tree, resulting in eight fatalities and numerous injuries. The accident occurred on Highway 41 in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province, as the bus skidded down the median strip.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident was reported to the 191 radio center of Surat Thani Provincial Police on January 1st. The crash prompted coordination with the Chaiya District Travel Facilitation and Safety Center to assess the situation on-site. The accident took place on the ascending side of the highway before the Pa We intersection, involving a green and white Hino air-conditioned bus carrying a Nakhon Pathom license plate.
Initial reports reveal that many passengers, primarily elderly men and women, were trapped inside the vehicle. Rescue workers swiftly responded, extricating the injured and transporting them to Chaiya Hospital and Tha Chang Hospital for medical attention. Of the passengers, there were five confirmed fatalities and three individuals with severe injuries.
The bus was part of a non-regular chartered tour group originating from Samut Sakhon Province, consisting of 36 passengers and two drivers. The group was returning from a trip to Yala Province and had made several stops, including one in Songkhla Province, on their way back to Samut Sakhon. At one of these stops, a passenger disembarked for personal reasons, reducing the number of individuals on board to 37.
One passenger recounted that as the bus approached the scene of the accident, they heard a loud crash indicative of the vehicle falling into a pothole before veering into the median strip and striking multiple trees. Preliminary investigations indicate the bus was traveling at 81 kilometers per hour in the right lane while attempting to overtake another vehicle.