PUBLISHED: 22 Apr 2025 at 04 :03
The Transport Ministry has ordered the operator of the ill-fated vehicle which crashed into two vehicles killing seven people and injuring 53 people in Prachin Buri on Monday to issue a common answer and warned it may encounter legal effects, according to Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote.
He said the Department of Land Transport ( DLT) has launched a fact-finding probe which will also calculate compensation for victims and their families.
The DLT said it has has supplied regional police with information about the vehicle and is monitoring the situation carefully.
The business which operates the vehicle has been ordered to give speech to the DLT.
” If it broke the property transfer regulation, it will be subject to legal consequence,” he said.
Seven persons were confirmed killed and 53 injured early Monday night when their vehicle crashed into two vehicles in an incident blamed on broken pedals.
Pol Lt Col Siwaphas Phuripaschaiboonchu, investigator at Wang Khondaeng authorities place, said the vehicle was travelling from Rayong to Nong Khai. It rear-ended the two cars on roadway 304 in Na Di area around 2am.
He said seven persons were confirmed dead at the scene, including the bus drivers and his pleasure vehicle, while the 53 people who suffered wounds were rushed to regional hospitals.
Na Di district chief Somjai Phutthasena said the death toll could climb further.
A preliminary investigation found the accident could have been due to malfunctioning brakes on the interprovincial bus, Pol Lt Col Siwaphas said.
The bus was operated by 407 Pattana Co, which has a poor safety record.
Trucker Lamsant Phuangphu said he was following behind the bus as it descended a hill at an unusually high speed before hitting the two lorries in front of it. Mr Lamsant said he and other motorists stopped to help passengers escape the bus, which caught fire after the crash.
On Feb 26, an accident on the same stretch of road claimed the lives of 17 local government employees from Phon Charoen district in Bung Kan, and injured 40 others. They were on a study trip to Rayong when the bus overturned.
The road is notorious for the many S-shaped bends along it, which make it difficult for vehicles to negotiate.