Death toll during Songkran increases to 158

Forty-four individuals tragically lost their lives, and a further 368 were injured in road accidents across various regions on Friday, the fourth day of the “seven dangerous days” during the Songkran festivities. This has brought the total number of fatalities throughout the celebration thus far to 158.

The reported number of deaths during the first four days has decreased by 14, down from 172 in comparison to the same period last year.

Data from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation’s road safety centre revealed that between April 11-14, 1,433 people sustained injuries in 1,422 road accidents. This is a noticeable increase when compared to the 1,188 injuries recorded in 1,207 accidents during the previous year when there were fewer trips taken due to some Covid-19 restrictions being in place.

Speeding was found to be the principal cause of accidents,…