This Article is From Apr 18, 2014

Thai New Year death toll reaches 322

Thai New Year death toll reaches 322

In this photo taken Monday, March 24, 2014, Thai charity workers carry an injured bus passenger to an ambulance during a road accident in Mae Sot, northern Thailand

At least 322 people were killed and 3,225 injured in road accidents during the one-week Thai New Year (Song-kran) celebrations, the country's disaster prevention and mitigation department said Friday.

From April 11 to 17, also known as the "seven dangerous days," 2,992 road accidents happened across Thailand, up 5.8 percent from the same period last year, according to the department.

The death toll declined by 0.31 percent year-on-year, while the number of injuries rose by 6.09 percent, Xinhua reported.

Drunk driving turned out to be the main cause of the accidents, followed by speeding, the department said.

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