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Accidents claim 287 lives in Thailand during week-long water fighting festival

By Hoang Vu   April 18, 2024 | 09:06 pm PT
Accidents claim 287 lives in Thailand during week-long water fighting festival
A Chinese tourist plays with water as she celebrates during the Songkran holiday which marks the Thai New Year in Bangkok, Thailand, April 13, 2023. Photo by Reuters
During the seven-day Songkran festival that wrapped up in Thailand on Wednesday 287 people were killed in 2,044 road accidents, the country's interior ministry said.

The death toll had been 264 last year.

The northern province of Chiang Rai reported the highest number of fatalities, 17, Bangkok Post quoted Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as saying at a press conference.

Speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and cutting in front of other vehicles were the main causes of accidents, he added.

Traditionally, thousands of tourists from across the world flock to Thailand to celebrate the water fighting festival, which was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritages of humanity last year.

 
 
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