Bangkok to Surat Thani bus crashes, 10+ dead, including 5 foreigners

No reports yet in the English press, just this Tweet from MCOT. The death toll has risen since this was posted.

Inter-provincial bus heading to Surat Thani's Ko Pha Ngan, hits electrical pole in Surat Thani, overturns; six dead, including foreign tourists; many injured

วันอังคาร ที่ 03 ก.ค. 2555

Inter-provincial bus heading to Surat Thani's Ko Pha Ngan, hits electrical pole in Surat Thani, overturns; six dead, including foreign tourists; many injured

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However, the Thai press have more details. I'll wait for an English source, not going to translate at length.

However, 10 dead so far, 17 injured, 10 seriously. 27 people on the bus, 24 passengers. 3 staff. It is suspected the driver fell asleep at this stage....bus left Bangkok at 19.30. Destination for this VIP bus was Koh Pha Ngan. No details of the identities or nationalities of the dead as yet.

Lots of photos

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Geez. That bus is smashed to bits.. RIP

This makes bangkok air look like value for money.

International press picking up the story, still nothing from any English language news source here...

Thai tour bus crash kills 10 and injures 17 passengers | News.com.au

Thai tour bus crash kills 10 and injures 17 passengers

• AAP
• July 03, 2012 1:51PM

A TOUR bus heading to a Thai resort island has blown a tyre and crashed into an electricity pole, killing 10 people and wounding 17.

Police Colonel Suriya Nakkaew says the passengers were heading to Koh Samui.

It is believed that five foreign tourists (one male and four female) and four Thai male tourists and the driver were killed, according to local reports from Thailand on Twitter.

The island is popular among Thais and foreign tourists.

Suriya says the crash early on Tuesday in the southern province of Surat Thani killed two Indians.

The other fatalities were Thais, including the driver.

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http://www.thehindu.com/news/interna...cle3597551.ece

2 Indians among 10 killed in Thailand bus accident

AP

Police say a tour bus heading to a Thai resort island blew a tire and crashed into an electricity pole, killing 10 people and wounding 17.

Police Col. Suriya Nakkaew says the passengers were heading to Koh Samui. The island is popular among Thais and foreign tourists.

Mr. Suriya Nakkaew says the crash early Tuesday in the southern province of Surat Thani killed two Indians. The other fatalities were Thais, including the driver.

Obscene RIP the innocent

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Police say a tour bus heading to a Thai resort island blew a tire and crashed into an electricity pole

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Would a blown tyre cause the bus to veer out of control ? I don't think so

^ It would if he wasn't holding the wheel mate ,, but my guess is after falling asleep he's hit a kerb or similar and the tyre has gone bang ,, probably incidental

[quote=StrontiumDog;2147260]

Quote:

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International press picking up the story,

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Fuck yeah !! :headbang::headbang::rock_dj::rock_dj:This is gonna be the biggest Thailand hate fest yet.

This is the "VIP 99" bus which takes 24 passengers + 3 staff and it is considered to be the safest bus line between Bkk and Samui.
There are always 2 drivers on the bus and they change a couple of times during the trip but that does not help against an exploding tyre.

The deformation suggests this bus was fabricated locally and without regard to the engineering principles and safety standards operating elsewhere in the civilised world.

It's a fact of life often ignored by the press and what may pass as the appropriate authority in Thailand the integrity of these vehicles would mean they would never get a licence to operate in Europe or the US.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kwang

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Police say a tour bus heading to a Thai resort island blew a tire and crashed into an electricity pole

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Would a blown tyre cause the bus to veer out of control ? I don't think so

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If you blown a front tyre you don't put your foot hard on the brake.
It looks like he has blown the right hand front tyre & jumped on the brake hard. the bus has pulled left end of story.

Or he has fallen a sleep & they are using the blown tyre, to make it look better.

:mid:

Ten dead, 17 injured in Surat Thani bus accident

Ten dead, 17 injured in Surat Thani bus accident

วันอังคาร ที่ 03 ก.ค. 2555

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SURAT THANI, July 3 – Ten persons died and 17 others were injured when an inter-provincial bus carrying Thais and foreign tourists left the road and crashed into an electric power transmission pole Tuesday at dawn.

The driver lost control of the first-class, air-conditioned Transport Co. Ltd vehicle and it crashed into an electric power transmission pole on Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat Road in Kanchanadit district.

Ten people including the driver and Amit Jain, an Indian, were killed in the crash. Five bodies were unidentified and were sent for autopsies at Surat Thani Hospital.

Another 17 persons including Thais and foreigners were injured and are being treated in local hospitals.

The bus carried 24 passengers, the driver and two bus attendants, leaving Bangkok at 7.50 pm on Monday en route to Phangan Island in the southern province of Surat Thani.

According to the initial investigation, the front right tire burst, causing the driver to lose control and the bus hit the electric pole at full speed.

Electric transmission wires were ripped apart and gas was leaking from the disabled bus. Local authorities cut the electricity, while a responding fire truck stood by at the crash site. (MCOT online news)

Damn, RIP.

^^ Seems the burst tire is now the reason being put forward. The Thai press had suggested the driver had slept.

I don't know about lorries or coaches in Europe, I do know however a lot of cars nowadays especially BMW's are fitted with run-flat tyres that can still be driven at 60 MPH for another 150 miles.

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poor buggers...i,m with the fell asleep crowd side of the fence, tyre probably blew on impact, not that it matters now for the ones that are gone..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kwang

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Police say a tour bus heading to a Thai resort island blew a tire and crashed into an electricity pole

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Would a blown tyre cause the bus to veer out of control ? I don't think so

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And it's been raining from the early hours of the morning

I see a flat can make a vehicle lose control, especially if the driver is poorly trained and applies the brake

Driving emergency: Tyre blowout, burst tyres

And of course one cannot exclude the likely possibility the tyre had insufficient tread or was a retread.

Poorly maintained buses are a fact of life. Whenever I take them I never look at the tyres. What's the point in worrying? No one gives a toss about safety here.

The number of foreigners who died seems to vary from report to report, all a bit unclear still....

Bangkok Post

10 killed, 17 hurt in bus accident | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

10 killed, 17 hurt in bus accident

• Published: 3/07/2012 at 12:14 PM
• Online news:

Ten people were killed and 17 others injured when a Bangkok - Ko Pha-ngan tour bus skidded off the Surat Thani - Nakhon Si Thammarat highway and rammed into a power post in tambon Takhian Thong of Kanchanadit district in Surat Thani province early Tuesday morning, police said.

Police said the bus left Bangkok at 7.30pm on Monday with 24 passengers and three crew members, bound for Ko Phangan island off Surat Thani. While approaching a village in tambon Takhian Thong at about 5.30am, the bus skidded off the road into a pit on the left in front of a petrol station, rammed into a large power post. The broken post fell over the bus.

Ten people were killed on the spot. They were the driver, a male foreign tourist, five female Thai passengers and three Thai female passengers.

Seventeen other people were injured, most of them seriously.

Police were investigating the cause of the accident.

Hide under your beds, nowhere's safe any more!

Certainly, the idea of a long-distance knackered old bus through the night in the rainy season driven by Thais doesn't quite sound the bargain it no doubt seemed to those "foreigners".

To many just lately few days ago on the same road? I've often wondered about these bus accidents do they have sufficient insurance?

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Originally Posted by FarangRed

do they have sufficient insurance?

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No need to take the piss there FR.

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

five female Thai passengers and three Thai female passengers.

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What is the difference between female Thais and Thai females ? Perhaps they were the crew members ?

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Originally Posted by FarangRed

I've often wondered about these bus accidents do they have sufficient insurance?

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For Thailand? Of course they do.

The bodywork, or lack of bodywork on thai buses contributes greatly to the death and injury toll in these accidents, new bodies are fabricated on old chassis, fabricated out of what appears to be thin aluminium and plate glass, there is no rollover protection. They are designed to look good, but as with so much in this disneyland of a country, beneath the surface there is little of substance. In a bus accident the aluminium will fold and the plate glass will break into lethal shards, The seats, held in place by flimsy bolts will come adrift flinging the occupants about.

Combine this with the poor maintenance and abysmal driving standards and riders of these buses are entering a grim lottery.

This accident will fuel the anger felt by the parents of the british students killed a while back and hopefully their campaign to publicise the criminal neglect of the thai authorities in not regulating their transport system adequately will move forward a bit more.

In most developed countries, blow-outs are a thing of the past. A critical blow out rarely occurs in a tubeless tyre. Commercial vehicles in most developed countries must be fitted with tubeless tyres only as the fitment of tubes in old, damaged, recapped or retreaded tyres is dangerous. Tubeless tyres run flat slowly, and without the sudden explosion of air through a small hole, a driver can usually bring a large vehicle safely to a stop.

List of injured passengers of Bangkok-Pha Ngan bus, hospital's phone number - The Nation

List of injured passengers of Bangkok-Pha Ngan bus, hospital's phone number

July 3, 2012 3:14 pm

Surat Thani Hospital’s phone numbers: (66 77)272 231 and (66 77) 284 231)
1. Roverta Nortun, Briton
2. Jonathan Bennet, nationality unknown
3. Push Pinder Kuma, Indian
4. Pinry Jain, Indian
5. Aashima Jain, Indian
6. Jasmine Maglige, Luxembourger
7. Figue Magias Michael, Luxembourger
8. Kapl Gaya, Zimbabwean
9. Thitima Klomklieng, 27, Thai
10. Phirasak Yensiri, 26, Thai
11. Sodsai Kakarun, 21, Thai
12. Namphet Poonperm, 41, Thai
13. Komsan Nuntasahakitnukul, 36, Thai
14. Jiraporn Laokamkaew, 43, Thai
15. Prom Pijaranapong 64, Thai
16. Pitawun Suwanprasert, 35, Thai

The Nation

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thegent

And of course one cannot exclude the likely possibility the tyre had insufficient tread or was a retread.

Poorly maintained buses are a fact of life. Whenever I take them I never look at the tyres. What's the point in worrying? No one gives a toss about safety here.

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Retreads are never legally used on the steering wheels of commercial vehicles at home, only on the rear wheels. You're also quite right about this likely being a Thai home made bus, look at the picture showing the bottom of the bus. The small frame too far in the center and the sloppy wiring and pluming down the center does not look like a properly engineered vehicle.
A bus made to western standards would also likely be tested by the manufacturer for its performance in the event of a front wheel blow out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BobR

You're also quite right about this likely being a Thai home made bus, look at the picture showing the bottom of the bus. The small frame too far in the center and the sloppy wiring and pluming down the center does not look like a properly engineered vehicle.

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The Transport Co, Ltd are using a few year old Daewoo coaches for the Samui and Pangan lines, the older coaches are not seen here any more.
I would guess from the photos that the coach in the accident is one of those in which case it is between 2-4 years old.

duplicate see post 28

^ he's already done that. I would guess at number 2 being a Brit too.

I see it says they are mostly seriously injured, hopefully there will be no more fatalities tonight

10 dead, 17 hurt in bus accident | Bangkok Post: news

10 dead, 17 hurt in bus accident

• Published: 3/07/2012 at 08:30 PM
• Online news: Local News

SURAT THANI - Ten people were killed and 17 others injured when a Bangkok to Koh Phangan tour bus skidded off the Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat highway and rammed a large power post in tambon Takhian Thong of Kanchanadit district early Tuesday morning, police said.

Police said the bus left Bangkok at 7.30pm on Monday with 24 passengers and three crew members, bound for Koh Phangan island off Surat Thani. As it approached a village in tambon Takhian Thong about 5.30am the bus suddenly careered off the road into a pit on the left, in front of a petrol station, and then ploughed into a large power post. The broken post fell on top of the Transport Co bus.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2012/07/224.jpg
Photo by Supapong Chaolan

Ten people died on the spot -- the male driver, a male Indian tourist, five female Thai passengers and three Thai male passengers.

Seventeen other people, Thais and foreigners, were injured, eight of them seriously.

Police said the accident occurred when the front right tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control. The bus hit a tree and then the electric pole at full speed.

One of the woman Thai passengers said the first driver was replaced by another driver when the bus stopped at a public rest area in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Thap Sakae district.

"Since 3am, many passengers could not sleep because the bus was speeding so fast and the entire bus was also shaking.

"When I saw the bus going out of control I ducked down in my seat. I then heard a loud crash and cries for help everywhere," she said.

Surat Thani governor Cherdsak Chusri went to the crash scene. He said provincial authorities had contacted the embassies of the countries of the injured foreigners.

The names six of the dead passengers were given as:

1) bus driver Ang Srinual, 58,
2) Indian tourist Ahmed Jain, 38,
3) Wanchai Boonnukul,
4) Pimphan Saedan,
5) Saharat Chummano, 39, and
6) Kamnung Somjaimai, 58.

Details of the other four fatalities could not be confirmed.

Names of the injured foreign passengers and their nationalities are as follows;

1) Ms Roverta Norton, British
2) Mr Jonathan Bennet, British
3) Mrs Pinry Jain (Ahmed's mother), Indian
4) Mr Pushpinder Kuma, Indian
5) Mrs Aashima Jain, Indian
6) Ms Jasmine Maglige, Luxembourger
7) Mr Figueredo Matias Michael, Luxembourger, and
8) Mr Kapl Gaya, Zimbabwean.

^ So the 5 foreign tourists dead, as was reported at first, now appears to be incorrect. Maybe a Mod could alter the headline to reflect that please?

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Originally Posted by BobR

Retreads are never legally used on the steering wheels of commercial vehicles at home,

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Good on the USA Bob ,, in the UK to keep ( hidden costs ) down they are allowed , infact I had 2 of these shit retreads fitted last week , had one go down yesterday told my boss I'd got a puncture etc got the tyre fitter out.

He took the tyre of and said look here mate " YOU " aint got the puncture they have wrapped a retread round an old tyre with a nail still in it , he lifted the retread up and showed me the nail inside ,, absolute shite ! should never be allowed.

Last week I also had a track rod fall out one of my steering axles ! but thats another story

Ok, The Nation now says 6 foreigners. I give up....

Six tourists among 10 dead in coach crash - The Nation

Six tourists among 10 dead in coach crash

The Nation July 4, 2012 1:00 am
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Six foreign tourists and four other people were killed yesterday when their coach, bound for Koh Pha Ngan, blew a tyre at high speed, veered into a divider strip and slammed into a power pole before flipping on its side in a ditch.

The bus had left Bangkok and was carrying 24 passengers as well as the driver and two attendants at the time of the crash in Surat Thani's Kanchanadit district.

All of the 17 survivors sustained serious injuries. One of the dead foreigners was an Indian named James Amit, while the others were yet to be identified.

Police Colonel Suriya Nakkaew, superintendent of Kanchanadit Police Station, said the bodies of the 10 dead were taken to Surat Thani Hospital.

An inquiry suggested the bus may have been speeding when its right front tyre suddenly burst, causing the driver to lose control.

Witnesses told police the bus hit a traffic island at a U-turn before crashing into a power pole and plunging into the roadside gully.

High-tension lines were downed and the bus leaked gas when police and rescue workers arrived at the scene of the crash.

The electricity had to be cut off and fire engines were called before rescue workers started retrieving survivors from the mangled bus.

"Of the survivors, six are being treated at Kanchanadit Hospital and the rest at Surat Thani Hospital," Suriya said.

Governor Cherdsak Chusri and Panu Woramit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surat Thani Office, who visited the injured at Surat Thani Hospital, said they would help contact the relatives of the injured foreigners and help them get back to home countries.

The injured foreigners were Roverta Nortun (British), Jonathan Bennet, Push Pinder Kuma (Indian), Pinry Jain (Indian), Aashma Jain (Indian), Jasmine Maglige (Luxembourg), Michael Figue Magias (Luxembourg) and Kapi |Gaya (Zimbabwe).

The officials said they would also ensure that the dead foreigners' bodies would be sent back to their relatives in their countries.

Thai coach travel, at night. What are these people doing. RIP.

lets hope the families were informed prior to the names being released to the press.

All those coaches are built as a compromise to safety so that you get good visibility. If anyone cares to google coach crashes or bus crashes it is not just a Thai problem. All that class is great for looking at the view but when they roll or hit something hard the results on the occupants is catastrophic.

An inquiry suggested the bus may have been speeding when its right front tyre suddenly burst, causing the driver to lose control.

Witnesses told police the bus hit a traffic island at a U-turn before crashing into a power pole and plunging into the roadside gully.


OK he hit a right hand road side island, that when the right hand tyre burst as he was asleep.
He jumps on the brake which the bus pulls left end of story.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

One of the woman Thai passengers said : "Since 3am, many passengers could not sleep because the bus was speeding so fast and the entire bus was also shaking.

The bus hit a tree and then the electric pole at full speed.

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It's revealing that the police announced that one of the front tyres blew out. Difficult to tell this when a bus has crashed head-on at over the speed limit. They must be psychic.

Government to police : "Cover up any wrongdoing to protect the tourist trade".
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