A ghastly road accident has claimed the lives of 18 tourists and left 23 others severely injured in the Prachinburi province of Thailand.
As gathered, the incident occurred after the tour bus driver lost control of the vehicle causing it to somersault into a ditch.
It was learnt that the driver, who was transporting 49 tourists, was traveling at an excessive speed, resulting in the fatal crash.
Footage obtained from the incident scene showed rescue and medical workers at the scene in Prachinburi province, 96 miles east of the capital, Bangkok, helping victims near the bus with its undercarriage exposed.
According to Thai police, on Wednesday, everyone on board were Thai nationals who were going on a study trip before the unfortunate crash.
“It was a downhill road and the brakes failed, and the driver lost control of the vehicle before it overturned, those who died were adults on a study trip,” said Col. Sophon Phramaneehe.
Reacting to this through a post on her social media handle, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawattra expressed her condolences to the victims’ families and said an investigation was taking place.
“If it is found that there is a violation of the use of vehicles that do not meet the standards or are involved in reckless use of vehicles, legal action will be taken”.
“Inspection of vehicles must be safe and pass the specified standards before they are put into use to prevent accidents and reduce losses like this again.”
