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Thai New Year's Death Toll Reaches 636
Accidents during the Thai New Year festival have claimed 636 lives and caused 49,543 injuries, The Nation newspaper reported Tuesday.
From the total number of casualties, road accidents between Wednesday and Monday accounted for 442 deaths and 25,637 injuries, Deputy Public Health Minister Surapong Suebwonglee was quoted as saying.
Most road accidents were attributed to drunk driving and motorcyclists' failure to wear safety helmets, Surapong said.
The statistics were compiled from 800 state hospitals across the nation.
There were 285.8 people injured and 4.9 killed every hour during the Thai New Year, or Songkran festival, which starts last Thursday.
In northeastern province Amnat Charoen two 13-year-old boys died when their motorcycles collided with a truck as they attempted to drench Songkran revelers.
Another resident, 25, drowned in the Mekong river as he tried to cool off after a bout of drinking to celebrate the water festival, witnesses said.
National Police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen reminded motorists to refrain from drinking and to observe traffic regulations to ensure a safe return trip from Songkran celebrations, scheduled to end Tuesday.
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