songkran road toll

Songkran Road Toll Climbs to 154 as Holiday Travel Enters Fourth Day

ByJustpaste.in

BANGKOK — The first four days of the Songkran holiday’s “seven dangerous days” have claimed 154 lives and left 705 people injured in road accidents across Thailand, with Bangkok recording the highest number of fatalities, authorities reported on Tuesday.

Songkran Holiday Road Death Toll Rises to 95 After Three Days

While the toll remains deeply troubling, the overall number of accidents has dropped significantly compared with the same period last year. A total of 755 road crashes have been recorded, representing a decline of nearly 25 percent from the 1,002 accidents reported during the first four days of Songkran in 2025, when 144 people died and 999 were injured. On Monday alone, 237 accidents occurred nationwide, resulting in 224 injuries and 51 deaths, according to Yossapol Wenukoset, head of the Road Safety Centre. The government’s annual safety awareness and enforcement campaign, themed “Drive Safely, Reduce Speed, Prevent Accidents,” runs from April 10 to 16.

Speeding continues to be the deadliest factor on Thailand’s roads, responsible for 41.8 percent of all accidents between April 10 and 13. Drink driving followed closely, accounting for 27.4 percent of crashes. Motorcycles remain the most vulnerable vehicles, involved in nearly 71 percent of all accidents. The vast majority of crashes, 75.5 percent, occurred on straight roads, with those under local tambon administrative organisations and in villages making up the largest share at 36.3 percent. The most dangerous time of day has been the late afternoon period between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., when 20.25 percent of all accidents took place. Young adults and middle-aged travellers have been the hardest hit, with those aged 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 each accounting for 17.8 percent of injuries and fatalities.

Songkran Road Toll at 71, With 317 Injured After Two Days

Lampang province in the north has seen the highest cumulative number of accidents with 33 cases and the highest number of injuries with 34. Bangkok, however, has recorded the highest death toll with eight fatalities. On a more positive note, 22 provinces have reported zero road deaths during the four-day period. Thiraphat Khatchamart, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said traffic volumes remained heavy on Tuesday as many people were still travelling to Songkran celebrations while others had begun making their return journeys to Bangkok or their workplaces in an effort to avoid the severe congestion expected on Wednesday. He added that the Road Safety Centre has instructed all relevant agencies to manage traffic according to local conditions, with special attention being paid to major routes where construction is underway. Checkpoints and service points are being set up in suitable locations to help prevent drowsy driving and rear-end collisions, Thiraphat added.

-Thailand News (TN)

Similar Posts

  • | |

    FIA launches unit to hunt dark web criminals

    ByJustpaste.in

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a dedicated unit to investigate criminals operating through the dark web. The move is aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s ability to deal with hidden online criminal networks. The new unit has been set up at the FIA’s National Command and Control Centre (NC3) in Islamabad. It will use advanced technology and digital investigation techniques to identify suspects who use encrypted platforms to conceal their identities. FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar said the unit would focus on criminal networks involved in activities that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction. Investigators will also examine suspicious digital transactions, including those involving cryptocurrencies. A major focus will be networks involved in producing fake documents. Such documents can be used to facilitate human trafficking and illegal migrant smuggling. The unit will also investigate other forms of cyber-enabled crime linked to the dark web. The dark web is a hidden part of the internet. Its websites are not normally indexed by standard search engines. Access often requires specialised software and knowledge. Criminals can use these systems to hide their identities and locations. The technology has also been misused for illegal trade, cybercrime and other criminal activities. Authorities face additional challenges because many dark web networks operate across national borders. Criminals can also use cryptocurrency to make financial transactions more difficult to trace. The FIA plans to address these challenges through modern digital investigation tools and greater coordination between specialised teams. The new unit will work closely with the FIA’s cryptocurrency investigation unit. Both units will operate under the same facility and share technical expertise. Investigators will use blockchain forensic techniques to examine cryptocurrency transactions. These techniques can help authorities analyse transactions and potentially connect anonymous or pseudonymous digital addresses with real-world identities. Open-source intelligence will also be used to support investigations. Officials said digital evidence gathered from different sources could help strengthen criminal cases. Investigators will track aliases, usernames and pseudonyms used by suspected criminals across online marketplaces, forums and other hidden platforms. The information will be used to build detailed profiles of suspected offenders. Authorities can then use the evidence to identify suspects and pursue legal action. NC3 Director Dr Athar Waheed explained the basic structure of the internet. He said it is commonly divided into three broad layers: the surface web, deep web and dark web. The surface web includes websites that can be found through regular search engines. News websites, social media platforms, blogs and online shopping sites are examples. The deep web contains online material that search engines do not index. This includes private databases, email accounts, banking systems, academic resources and internal organisational networks. Much of the deep web is legitimate. Users normally need passwords, subscriptions or specific permissions to access such content. The dark web is a smaller and deliberately hidden section of the deep web. It uses technologies designed to provide greater anonymity. Tor is one of the technologies commonly associated with accessing dark web services. It routes internet traffic through multiple volunteer-operated relays, making it more difficult to identify the original source. The FIA’s new unit will seek to overcome these anonymity measures through digital forensics, intelligence gathering and technological investigation.

  • | | |

    Four terrorists killed in foiled South Waziristan …

    ByJustpaste.in

    Security forces have thwarted a suspected suicide attack on a security check post in South Waziristan, killing four terrorists, according to the military’s media wing. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said terrorists attempted to target a security forces’ post on Saturday using a vehicle packed with explosives. The vehicle was intercepted before it could reach the check post. Security personnel destroyed the explosive-laden vehicle outside the post’s perimeter, killing the suicide bomber inside. The failed attack caused no damage to the check post, according to the military. The ISPR said three other attackers attempted to escape and took shelter in a nearby compound. Security forces subsequently launched a targeted clearance operation and killed all three terrorists. No security personnel were reported killed or injured during the operation. Following the engagement, security forces launched a sanitisation operation in the area to search for any remaining militants and ensure the area was secure. The military said the operation demonstrated the preparedness and professional response of security personnel against terrorist threats. It added that counterterrorism efforts would continue under the government’s broader security strategy. President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces for responding quickly and preventing the attack. He said security and law enforcement agencies would continue their operations against terrorism with determination. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also commended the personnel involved in the operation. He said the nation was proud of the security forces and their continued efforts to counter terrorism. The latest incident comes amid heightened security concerns in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militant attacks have increased in recent years. Security forces have continued targeted operations in several areas to disrupt militant networks and prevent attacks on security personnel and civilians. The South Waziristan operation comes shortly after a deadly attack in Tank district in which several security personnel and a government official were killed. Another attack in Kohat also claimed the lives of government officials after militants ambushed a vehicle at a joint check post.

  • | |

    One killed as fire breaks out on Indonesian ferry …

    ByJustpaste.in

    Indonesian rescue teams pulled more than 200 people to safety on Wednesday after a ferry that departed from the resort island of Bali caught fire in waters near Lombok, officials said, as crews continued searching for any passengers still unaccounted for. By Wednesday afternoon, authorities had confirmed one Indonesian national dead among the 212 people evacuated to ports in Bali and Lombok, according to Muhammad Hariyadi, head of the local search and rescue agency. Most of those rescued were Indonesian citizens, with one Australian national also among the evacuees. The KM Putri Yasmin had departed Padangbai port in Bali bound for Lembar port when the fire broke out, Hariyadi said. Authorities have not yet determined what caused the blaze or whether the vessel was carrying more passengers than permitted. Hariyadi said rescue teams deployed multiple boats to carry out evacuations and coordinate with other vessels near the site of the incident, with more than 200 personnel involved in the response. The fire broke out in the Lombok Strait at 4:39 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Hariyadi said. Earlier in the day, Padangbai port official Heri Wiyanto told a local broadcaster that the ferry’s manifest listed only 114 passengers and 17 crew members, raising questions about whether the vessel exceeded its registered capacity. The incident comes less than a month after a separate ferry fire killed five people off the coast of Madura island, when the KM Mutiara Sentosa 2 caught fire while also carrying more passengers than its manifest indicated. Indonesia, a nation made up of roughly 17,000 islands, depends heavily on ferries for transportation between islands, since sea travel remains cheaper and more widely available than flying in many parts of the archipelago. Enforcement of maritime safety standards varies widely across the country, however, contributing to a comparatively high rate of ferry accidents in Indonesian waters.

  • | |

    Supreme Court orders early hearing of Imran’s me…

    ByJustpaste.in

    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday accepted a chamber appeal filed by former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan. The court directed that his petition be fixed for hearing before a Supreme Court bench at the earliest. Imran Khan has requested the court to order his transfer from Adiala Jail to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment. He has also sought permission for regular meetings with his family members, personal physicians and legal counsel. In addition, he wants his medical reports to be shared with his family. The appeal challenged an earlier decision by the Supreme Court Registrar, who had returned the petitions after raising objections. The Registrar’s Office said the petitions were incomplete because they did not include a signed power of attorney. During Friday’s proceedings, Advocate Uzair Karamat Bhandari appeared before Chief Justice Yahya Afridi in chambers on behalf of Imran Khan. After hearing the arguments, the chief justice declared the Registrar’s objections ineffective and directed the legal team to submit a signed power of attorney. The Registrar’s Office was also instructed to assign a regular case number to the petition so it could be listed for hearing without unnecessary delay. The Supreme Court further ordered that a separate petition filed by Imran Khan’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, should be heard together with his own case. In the appeal, Imran Khan argued that the Registrar had exceeded his administrative powers by deciding the maintainability of the petition. His legal team maintained that such questions should be decided by judges because they involve constitutional and legal interpretation rather than administrative scrutiny. The petition also requested that Imran Khan be examined by doctors of his own choice. The names included Dr Khurram Mirza, Dr Asim Yusuf, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Samina Niazi. It further asked the court to order his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital for a detailed medical examination and treatment. The petition also sought uninterrupted access to his personal doctors, family members and lawyers during his imprisonment and treatment. Dr Uzma Khan has also challenged an Islamabad High Court ruling that refused to order Imran Khan’s transfer to Shifa International Hospital. She also questioned the decision denying his family access to his medical information and visits by his personal physicians. In her petition, Dr Uzma said Imran Khan and his wife are currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail, while his two sons live abroad. She said she is his closest immediate family member in Pakistan and, as a medical doctor, is deeply concerned about his health. She argued that she has the legal standing to pursue the case on his behalf. Imran Khan has remained in custody since August 2023. He is serving a 14-year prison sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. He is also receiving treatment for right central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), an eye condition that was diagnosed earlier this year. His medical treatment has become a major political issue in recent months. Opposition leaders have repeatedly accused the government of failing to ensure proper medical care and denying him access to his personal doctors. They have also demanded his transfer to Shifa International Hospital

  • Eleventh Thai Soldier Loses Leg in Sisaket Landmine Blast

    ByJustpaste.in

    SISAKET – Another Thai soldier has been severely wounded after stepping on an anti-personnel landmine near the Cambodian border, marking the eleventh such incident involving Thai troops. The explosion occurred in the Khao Santasom area of Si Sa Ket province’s Kantharalak district, a zone recently retaken from Cambodian forces. Thailand Accuses Cambodia of Laying Fresh […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *