Thailand's New Year's road death toll hits 351
Bangkok (dpa) - Thailand's death toll in New Year's road accidents was 351 in the five days of the holiday season and half were caused by drunk driving, officials said Tuesday.
During the five-day period ending on New Year's Day, Thailand's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department recorded 3,569 accidents on the kingdom's highways with 48 per cent of the crashes blamed on drunk driving. The figure was up 3.4 per cent from last year.
The department's director, Annucha Mokkhawaet, said 351 people died in the accidents, up from the 347 deaths during the same period last year.
Thailand dispatched tens of thousands of police to keep the nation's highways flowing and get drunkards off the road during the New Year's season, when millions of Thais head home.
The road death toll is usually even higher during the traditional Thai New Year, or Songkran, which falls on April 13 to 15. // © 2006 DPA
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