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Published on April 17, 2008

All roads into Bangkok were crowded yesterday, the last day of the Songkran holidays, as people returned from hometown visits to jobs in the capital.

The Mor Chit Bus Terminals were crowded from dawn, and there were considerable traffic jams in the area. There weren't sufficient taxis for home-comers at the Hualamphong railway station. Some drivers refused to use fare meters.

400,000 took trains

City police dispatched 100 officers and canine teams to the bus terminals for security and to deter pickpockets.

The State Railway Authority says it is happy with services during the festival. Almost 400,000 travellers took trains.

It expects most travellers to Bangkok will have arrived already.

Trains departing the previous night from upcountry destinations provided additional carriages. The busiest departure points were Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani and Uttaradit. All trains were reported full.

Throughout yesterday it was expected nearly 100,000 people would pass through the main Bangkok station - compared with 50,000 passengers on any normal day.

Extra buses hit road

The railway put on 560 bus journeys to accommodate

passengers seeking to get

to Nakhon Ratchasima, the gateway to the Northeast,

and catch trains back to Bangkok.

Down South, security was tightened. Hat Yai station was crowded with Bangkok-bound passengers. The railway added carriages to already-full trains. That was still not enough to meet demand.

Station chief Komet Machimapiro insists he'll get everyone to their destinations by the end of the day, even if it means getting them on buses or vans headed for Bangkok.

Daily Xpress

Death toll mounts as holiday winds down

The road toll for the first five days of the Songkran holiday reached 276 dead and 3,992 injured.

There has been a total of 3,537 reported road accidents, the Road Safety Centre says.

The seven deadly days of Songkran started on Friday. In the five days since then Phitsanulok has racked up the greatest number of fatalities with 15. Phetchabun is second with 11, says Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Anucha Mokkhavesa.

Chiang Rai recorded the greatest number of accident injuries with 159 followed by Phetchabun with 157 cases. Chiang Rai had the highest accumulated number of road accidents at 153 cases, too, followed by Phetchabun at 146. Nine provinces have to date escaped road fatalities.

On Tuesday alone, there were 677 accidents, killing 47 and injuring 677.

Most accidents resulted from drunk driving with alcohol involved in 42.18 per cent. Motorcycles are involved in more than eight in every 10 accidents.

Daily Xpress