390 people died in water festival in Thailand

During Thailand's traditional New Year festival - Songkran 2017, there were more than 3,690 traffic accidents, killing 390 people and injuring 3,808.

This is the last day of the "drive carefully and maintain traffic safety" campaign, Interior Minister Krissada Boonrat said at a press conference, adding that yesterday (April 22) there were 307 road accidents that killed 40 people and injured 323 others.

"The three biggest causes of accidents were drunk driving - 1,589 cases; speeding - 1,028 cases; and collisions with other vehicles - 547 cases.

The three biggest causes of death were speeding, which killed 146 people; drunk driving, which killed 124 people; and poor visibility, which killed 77 people.

A total of 284 motorbikes, 49 pickup trucks and 27 private cars were involved in the fatal accidents.

Songkran water festival in Thailand. PHOTO: HOLIDAYSGENIUS

The Songkran water festival in Thailand is known worldwide as one of the most anticipated annual events. This year, the Songkran festival attracted more than half a million visitors from Europe, North America and all over Asia.

In 2013, there were 2,828 traffic accidents and 321 deaths, while 2014 saw 2,992 accidents and 322 deaths. By 2015, Songkran had 3,373 traffic accidents and 364 deaths. In 2016 alone, there were 3,500 accidents and 440 deaths.

Although the government has implemented safety measures to limit the number of traffic accidents and injuries to tourists and people participating in the festival, such tragic incidents still occur.

In 2016, several young Thai men attacked several elderly foreign tourists, sending them to hospital.

The number of sexual assaults is also a major concern during the Songkran festival, although the issue is largely overlooked because victims are often unable to provide photos of the incident.

The victim also said that it would be difficult to clarify the incident, and that making the incident public would likely embarrass the victim more than the perpetrator.

According to Sputnik