Suspected sleeping van driver, 13 Myanmar workers killed in fire in Sing Buri

[webfact]

Suspected sleeping van driver, 13 Myanmar workers killed in fire

By The Nation

 

Photo by Josor 100 radio

 

A chartered van taking Myanmar workers from Tak to Bangkok crashed into the rear of a truck in Sing Buri early on Friday, causing a fire that killed the driver and all 13 passengers, police said.

Pol Captain Jiradej Duangrassamee, deputy inspector of Mueang Sing Buri police station, said he was alerted to the accident at 3am.

 

He called for a fire engine when he found the fire still raging when he arrived at the scene on the Bangkok-bound Asia highway in Moo 3 village in Tambon Bang Mun.

 

It took about 20 minutes for the fire engine from Mueang Sing Buri Municipality to put out the blaze. Fourteen charred bodies were found inside the van.

 

The 10-wheel truck that the van hit was parked on the roadside. The driver, Sunthorn Fakthong, 56, told police that he was driving in the left lane when the van violently hit his rear end and burst into flames.

 

The driver of a van from the same company told police that the vans were chartered to take documented migrants from Tak’s Mae Sot district to Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district.

 

The driver said he saw the first van suddenly hit the rear of the truck.

 

Police suspected that the van driver fell sleep behind the wheel, leading to the accident.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30332400

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-24

 

 

[YetAnother]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Police suspected that the van driver fell sleep behind the wheel, leading to the accident.

at 3AM , quite likely; amongst all the other numbers we hear, driving at night here is not advisable

[darksidedog]

Number one thing here obviously is the driver, who like so many before him appears to have fallen asleep. Around the world there are numerous campaigns to alert people to the dangers of driver fatigue, but here, next to nothing and it happens continuously. The second issue is the amount of vehicles here that catch fire after an accident. I think it is long overdue for the gas conversions on these vehicles to be closely inspected, as they seem to have regular ruptures in collisions, leading to tragic fires and horrible deaths. Sadly, I suspect neither issue will be addressed so we will have more of the same again soon.

[ezzra]

Just another day on Thailand's roads, this time 13 Burmese lost

their lives, aha Burmese? never minds some will say, but tomorrow

or a day after there will be more dead as sure as the sun will rise

from the east, who the toady's walking dead of tomorrow's Thailand

horrendous roads?.....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another multi-fatality van crash for the PM to apologize for???

 

Oh, the victims were all from Myanmar and laborers...  Guess not...

 

 

 

[Briggsy]

When 14 people or more die in a road accident in Europe, it is headline news in many European countries irrespective of it happening in Spain or Switzerland. It is so rare that it is remembered for a long time.

 

Contrast with Thailand.

[Dave67]

Another day in Thailand

[Thian]

The truck was driving as well, so did the truck drive extremely slow or the van extremely fast??

 

That GPS-campain for van's is NOT giving any less accidents, it's time for a new approach to not become the hub of fatal roadaccidents....

[marko kok prong]

Exactly why i changed my mind about my Mrs friend driving us to Hospital next week to have my stitches removed and talk to the surgeon who operated on my stomach,of course sitting driving is quite painfull after this kind of op,but i simply do not trust any one but another Falang to drive my car.

[LennyW]

The daily bus related carnage continues!!!!!!

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The driver of a van from the same company told police that the vans were chartered to take documented migrants from Tak’s Mae Sot district to Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district.

 

In the early hours the morning vans were chartered to take 'documented Migrants'.... hmm...  

 

This is also how illegal laborers enter the country, through organized channels which pass through the check points without issue. When they are caught in immigration stings in Bangkok they are then sent back home. The cycle is then repeated when they re-enter Thailand through the Mae-Sot borders and are 'shipped' back in to Bangkok for a 'fee' to continue working in factories etc.

 

 

[webfact]

Foreigners Among 14 Killed In Sing Buri Van Crash: Police

By Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

 

 

  

SING BURI — A van which police said was carrying foreign workers crashed into a truck early Friday morning in Sing Buri, killing all 14 aboard.

 

A van collided into a 10-wheeler truck and was engulfed in flames at about 3am on Friday on the Asian Highway in Sing Buri province, killing 14 people including the driver. The rescue team took about 20 minutes to put out the fire.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/calamity/2017/11/24/foreigners-among-14-killed-sing-buri-van-crash-police/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2017-11-24

[DoctorG]

Unfortunately nothing we can, and do, say on here makes the slightest difference. I will not weep for Thailand as the Thais do not care.

[cardinalblue]

So how many Thais died? 4.3

[Destiny1990]

2 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Exactly why i changed my mind about my Mrs friend driving us to Hospital next week to have my stitches removed and talk to the surgeon who operated on my stomach,of course sitting driving is quite painfull after this kind of op,but i simply do not trust any one but another Falang to drive my car.

Yes Falangs never make accidents.

[Daveyh]

Either the driver fell asleep at the wheel ........ or no tail lights on the truck?? It's a real problem here at night where people just do not care about being seen. Too many unroadworthy vehicles on the road, plus irresponsible idiots that have driving licenses . My condolences to the families who have lost love ones :-(

[PatOngo]

23 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

Yes Falangs never make accidents.

In my estimation, they make a bloody site less accidents than do locals!.....Correct me if I'm wrong.

[RichardColeman]

I'm sure the charter company will make good recompense. 300 baht split 13 ways 

[dfdgfdfdgs]

2 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Exactly why i changed my mind about my Mrs friend driving us to Hospital next week to have my stitches removed and talk to the surgeon who operated on my stomach,of course sitting driving is quite painfull after this kind of op,but i simply do not trust any one but another Falang to drive my car.

 

Farang don't sleep then?  

[dfdgfdfdgs]

33 minutes ago, Daveyh said:

Either the driver fell asleep at the wheel ........ or no tail lights on the truck??

 

Lights on trucks and other public or haulage vehicles generally work.  They might be overloaded, or have unsafe loads, but their lights are generally in working order.

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Another multi-fatality van crash for the PM to apologize for???

 

Oh, the victims were all from Myanmar and laborers...  Guess not...

 

 

 

also must have been a Myanmar driver, as no Thai would do this

[Artisi]

5 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

 

Lights on trucks and other public or haulage vehicles generally work.  They might be overloaded, or have unsafe loads, but their lights are generally in working order.

Hahahahahaha - where do you reside ? 

[Artisi]

9 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

 

Farang don't sleep then?  

think you may have missed the inference..... but that's nothing new, now is it? 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, Thian said:

The truck was driving as well, so did the truck drive extremely slow or the van extremely fast??

 

That GPS-campain for van's is NOT giving any less accidents, it's time for a new approach to not become the hub of fatal roadaccidents....

why would GPS reduce stupidity, and not become the hub of fatal road accidents - where have you been the past week, that has already been pointed out.

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

Unfortunately nothing we can, and do, say on here makes the slightest difference. I will not weep for Thailand as the Thais do not care.

but how about weeping for the poor innocent people who put their lives in the hands of Thais who do not care - with the not care syndrome applying from the PM and his muggles all the way down.

[PatOngo]

24 minutes ago, dfdgfdfdgs said:

 

Farang don't sleep then?  

Of course they do, generally when they are tired. They also, as a rule, don't need to ferry passengers to the point that they fall asleep at the wheel in order to support their families. You may have noticed also that farang have greater powers of concentration than do locals.

[pumpjack]

yet another one !!! 

 

was only 2 days ago i read about 4-5 people getting killed in these flying coffins .

 

and yet...... the government do what ????

[Artisi]

1 minute ago, pumpjack said:

yet another one !!! 

 

was only 2 days ago i read about 4-5 people getting killed in these flying coffins .

 

and yet...... the government do what ????

"government do what ???" - bugger all.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

39 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Of course they do, generally when they are tired. They also, as a rule, don't need to ferry passengers to the point that they fall asleep at the wheel in order to support their families. You may have noticed also that farang have greater powers of concentration than do locals.

 

So, as an example, all the lorry drivers working in Eastern Europe are Thai, then?

 

I haven't noticed that farang have better concentration, no.  Maybe I wasn't concentrating hard enough.

[dfdgfdfdgs]

If they want to tackle the problem they need to introduce tachographs (spelling) and monitor the driver's hours.  Is Thailand competent enough to pull off such a system yet?