TransportCarnage:Beware the Motosy Zombie!

[jpatokal]

More bad news. An overloaded boat returning from Koh Phangan to Samui after the Full Moon Party has capsized:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aK0tm2Xdv7FQ&refer=top_world_news

At least 7 dead and 10 missing.

[The Enforcer!]

More bad news. An overloaded boat returning from Koh Phangan to Samui after the Full Moon Party has capsized:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aK0tm2Xdv7FQ&refer=top_world_news

At least 7 dead and 10 missing.
Sadly doesn't do a lot to aid Thailand's safe tourism image.

This story will, of course, carry more exposure than in any other year because of the high profile all Tsunami countries are currently getting.

The Enforcer!

[GWR]

Thursday, October 18, 2007
One dead, two missing as Phang Nga ferry sinks

PHANG NGA: A ferry overloaded with construction material capsized and sank off Koh Prathong in Kuraburi district about 1 am Tuesday, claiming the life of the captain. Two others survived, but a woman and her granddaughter are missing presumed dead.

Pol Maj Nirat Chuayjit of the Marine Police office in Kuraburi identified the sunken ferry as the Jern Jern, a flat-topped car ferry about 20 meters long and six meters wide operated by Jern Jern Co.

The vessel now lies in about seven meters of water off Haad Sai Khao Village 1 in Tambon Bang Wan, said Maj Nirat.

The boat sank while it was preparing to berth at a pier after a seven-kilometer voyage from Baan Thung La Ong, he added.

Maj Nirat said the vessel had a load capacity of 50 tons, but was carrying an estimated 70 to 80 tons of vehicles laden with construction materials when it listed and sank.

The cargo comprised building materials, such as rock and cement, as well as an extended-cab pickup truck and an excavator, he said.

The vessel was hired to ferry the cargo to Baan Pak Jok in Koh Pratong’s Village 4, where a project to build permanent homes for tsunami survivors is underway, Maj Nirat explained.

He identified the two survivors as Prakong Mernwan and Vatcharin Kwunjai.

The body of the captain, Pattani native Roheem Waewwannajit, 56, was found floating near the sunken vessel about 10 am yesterday.

Maj Nirat said the body showed signs of trauma and was probably hit by a large object.

The two survivors told him that the boat listed and all its cargo began sliding off into the water just before it capsized.

Capt Roheem’s body was likely pulled under at that time and resurfaced later, said Maj Nirat.

The two missing and presumed dead were identified as Duangporn Petchsungnern and her nine-year-old granddaughter, Sirintip Na Takuathung.

“One of the survivors said the ferry started taking on water at the bow and then began to list slowly to starboard. The load of rocks began to shift to that side and then the tractor and pickup slid in that direction, too. Finally, the vessel capsized and sank,” he said.

The search for the two missing people continues with about 50 workers, Maj Nirat told the Gazette early this afternoon.

Divers have already searched around the wreck but have been unable to find the bodies, he said.

There has been no efforts thus far to salvage the vessel, he added.
http://www.phuketgazette.com/news/index.asp?id=6036

[GWR]

The overloaded boat hit any underwater telegraph pole. Either a pole left behind by coastal erosion or one connecting that famous temple that has been left on a small island I suppose. Either way, it should have been destroyed to prevent such accidents. You would also think that people involved in higher education would have some sense that the boat was overloaded:

Indonesian dead in Pak Nam boat sinking

An overloaded makeshift ferry carrying students and teachers on a university outing sank in the Gulf of Thailand off Samut Prakan province late Sunday, killing three persons.

All the passengers, including Japanese, Indonesian, Bangladeshi and Thai nationals, were teachers and graduate students from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. An Indonesian female student was one of the victims.

The long boat, rated to carry just 15 passengers, carried 37 at the time it crashed into an underwater telephone pole off Samut Prakan province, authorities said.

It completely sank after the incident.

Police said they had recovered the bodies of the three casualties, while all the other passengers were saved.

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=123288

Do they mean fatality below?:

Indonesian casualty of boat sinking to be sent home

SAMUT PRAKAN, Nov 5 (TNA) – The Secretary of the Indonesian Embassy to Thailand received the body of an Indonesian student who died in the capsizing of a long-tail boat in Samut Prakan late Sunday, killing three passengers, including two Thais.

The Indonesian victim was identified as Lino Kalady Kiyato, a male student. The two Thai victims were Nonglak Paiboon and Wiman Vetchakul.

Meanwhile, police issued a summons to the boat captain for questioning.

The long-tailed boat carrying 37 passengers--from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok in an activity including postgraduates, and researchers from Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The cruise was a part of workshop to study about coastal erosion.

The boat collided with a submerged electrical power pole and sank immediately, as it was overloaded. (TNA) E110
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=1170

[GWR]

The overloaded boat hit any underwater telegraph pole. Either a pole left behind by coastal erosion or one connecting that famous temple that has been left on a small island I suppose. Either way, it should have been destroyed to prevent such accidents. You would also think that people involved in higher education would have some sense that the boat was overloaded:

Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=123288

Do they mean fatality below?:

http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=1170

Long-tail boat owner charged with recklessness
Published on November 6, 2007

The owner and operator of a long-tail boat was yesterday charged with recklessness leading to deaths following the drowning of three passengers on Sunday.

The boat was carrying a group of about 40 academics when it struck a submerged electrical power pole in a canal in Samut Prakan and sank.

All the passengers survived apart from Indonesian postgraduate student Lino Kalady Kiyato and two Thais, Nongnuch Paiboon and Wiman Vetchakul.

Boat owner Jamnong Khienjamnong, 40, turned himself in at Phra Samut Chedi Police Station yesterday afternoon. He told police he was taking the group to Klong Ta Perm Pier for a bus back to Bangkok when he heard a loud scrape under the boat, followed by water flooding in and passengers screaming.

He said the boat sank before he could take it to shore, so he helped passengers to safety before fleeing the scene to calm down before turning himself in.

Led by Asst Prof Dr Thanawat Jarupongsakul, the group of 36 scholars from Chulalongkorn University, including postgraduates and researchers from Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam, were returning from a trip to inspect coastal erosion in Phra Samut Chedi district when the accident happened.

Jamnong said he had taken Thanawat's team for coastal inspections twice before.

Phra Samut Chedi Police Station deputy superintendent Lt-Colonel Jiroj Suwannakul said police initially charged Jamnong with recklessness causing others' deaths and his relatives had bailed him out with assets worth Bt100,000.

Police have also contacted Asia Insurance, with whom the boat was insured, to provide assistance to the deceased's families and the injured.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Kiyato and Nongnuch were claimed from the Institute of Forensic Medicine yesterday by an official of the Indonesian Embassy and an elder sister of the Thai postgraduate student, respectively.

Kiyato's body and his belongings were to be flown to Indonesia late last night.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/11/06/national/national_30055031.php

[GWR]

English man dies after falling from fast moving Baht Bus on Pattaya Beach Road

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/08_11_2_2.jpg
[Photo: Pattaya News]


Police Lieutenant Colonel Anan from Pattaya Police Station made his way to the front of the station on Pattaya Beach Road in the early hours of Thursday Morning to investigate a road accident which claimed the life of an English Man. At the scene, he inspected the body of Mr. Mark Steven Morrison aged 45 from Ripon, North Yorkshire in England. He had sustained a fatal head trauma and despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of Baht Bus Number 549, Khun Kempet aged 41 was arrested and placed behind bars pending further enquiries into the incident. Witnesses, including a Bar Girl working at a Bar in Soi 7, explained that Mr. Morrison had spent the night drinking and was thought to be intoxicated. He summoned a Baht Bus at the end of the road on Pattaya Beach with the intention of meeting his Girlfriend at Walking Street. He decided not to sit on the seat of the Baht Bus and instead stood on the platform at the rear of the vehicle. In one hand was a bag of food he had purchased for his Girlfriend, with the other hand he held on to the steel rail. A sudden burst of power from the baht Bus caused him to fall off the Baht Bus approximately 100 meters from Soi 7. He hit the road, head first and sustained a fatal head trauma. The British Embassy in Bangkok are aware of the case and consular officials have already inspected the body at the Morgue in Banglamung and will arrange for the body of Mr. Morrison to be sent back to England for burial. Khun Kempet, the Baht Bus Driver accepted responsibility for the accident and will now be processed in accordance with the Law.

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_08_11_50_2.htm

Possibly a hard blow for Khun Kempet for doing what comes naturally for a Baht-Bus driver!

[GWR]

Runaway truck causes Patong Hill pileup


http://www.phuketgazette.com/newsimages/bull2212008-6291-1.jpg
[Photo: Phuket Gazette - Fortunately no injuries were reported in the latest multiple vehicle crash on Patong Hill.]

Fortunately no injuries were reported in the latest multiple vehicle crash on Patong Hill.

KATHU: Tailbacks several miles long streamed from both sides of Patong Hill yesterday evening after a broken-down truck rolled backwards, setting off a chain reaction smash-up that left five cars and a motorbike damaged.

Maj Passakorn Sonthikun of Tung Tong Police in Kathu said, “About 5 pm, a six-wheeled truck broke down halfway up the hill on its way to Patong. So traffic police from Tung Tong Police Station started directing traffic around it.

“As the truck had broken down in the center lane, police were directing Patong-bound traffic past it in the left lane. However, a tour bus driver passed on the right side and scraped along the side of the truck,” he explained.

“The truck was dislodged from the rocks that were being used as chocks behind the wheels, and the truck started rolling down the hill.

“It rolled into a tuk-tuk that was right behind it, which was pushed into a Toyota Vios, which was pushed into three pickup trucks and a motorcycle,” he said.

“The tour company has refused to pay for the damage to the other vehicles, so I have charged the bus driver with careless driving. The damage is estimated at more than 300,000 baht. I think this bus was uninsured.”

However, Maj Passakorn declined to name the tour company.

“No people were injured and the bus driver has denied the charge. We are still collecting evidence to present this case in court,” he said.

http://www.phuketgazette.com/news/index.asp?id=6290

[GWR]

How do they manage to kill each other like this on a fart of an island? Absolute carnage by the looks of things! Indeed, Pattaya City News was so discombobulated by the whole thing that it succeeded in putting the wrong/right photos with the right/wrong articles. I wouldn't want to prejudge the case, but it probably wouldn't be too wild a statement to say that the Estonian could have been out-of-his-face 'Pattaya-style' and the 'rescue worker' was almost certainly acting with the usual totally-wreckless abandon of supposed local rescue workers:

Two dead in high speed motorbike crash on Larn Island

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/12_03_1_2.jpg
[Photo: Pattaya City News]

We now report on a fatal road accident which occurred on Larn Island located 4 kms off the coast of Pattaya. The crash occurred on Wednesday Morning and claimed the life of an Estonian Tourist; Mr. Miloslav aged 42 and a Thai Man. The crash involved two motorbikes that collided head-on at a high rate of speed. One motorbike was driven by Mr. Miloslav with his girlfriend Miss Arena aged 36 from Russia riding as passenger. She sustained head injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. The other bike was driven by Khun Parait, a rescue volunteer from Nontaburi Province who had come to the Island for a Holiday with his two friends who were riding as passengers on the bike when the collision took place. The passengers sustained minor injuries, Khun Pairat lost his life. Mr. Miloslav apparently survived the crash but was pronounced dead when he was transferred to the mainland.

Right article with wrong photos:
http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_12_03_51_2.html
Wrong article with right photos:
http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_12_03_51.html

[GWR]

NGV Tanker overturns in Chonburi causing gas leak and fears of an explosion

http://www.pattayaone.net/pic_webnews/17_06_3.jpg
[Photo: Pattaya One News]

Early on Monday Morning our broadcast colleagues in Chonburi made their way to a slip road on the Sukumvit Road in Chonburi District following reports that an 18 wheel NGV Tanker, travelling from Rayong Province to Chonburi District, had overturned and gas was leaking from the tank of the truck. Fire Rescue Units and local Police rushed to the location and quickly determined that no one had been injured. The driver of the truck, Khun Somguan aged 40, who works for the S.C. Company from Bangkok explained to Police that he was completing his deliveries of NGV Gas and was on his way to a local PTT Petrol Station when the driver spotted a motorbike on his left side. Due to the proximity of the bike, Khun Somguan was forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision and the truck ended up on its side. The sound of leaking gas was heard and the fear was that a spark would ignite the truck. Luckily this did not happen and the leak was contained by fire fighters who were quick to respond to the accident. The incident is now under investigation by local authorities and the cost of the damage caused to the truck is estimated at 2 Million Baht.
http://www.pattayaone.net/news_17_06_51_3.html