Tour Bus Crashes on Pak Chong Highway, 28 Passengers Injured
A tour bus en route from Khon Kaen to Bangkok overturned on the Friendship Highway near Pak Chong on May 22, injuring all 28 passengers aboard; heavy rain is suspected to have caused the driver to lose control.
On May 22, 2569, Deputy Sergeant Major Boonlai Chaitip, deputy investigation officer at Nong Saharai Police Station in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, received a report of a passenger tour bus that had fallen off the Friendship Highway bypass into the median lane heading toward Bangkok, near the overpass U-turn junction at Ban Bo Thong in Nong Saharai Subdistrict. Multiple passengers sustained injuries.
After receiving the report, officers from the traffic police, Sawakvichcha Tham rescue unit, and heavy machinery responded to the scene. They found the Loei-Bangkok route tour bus overturned in the highway median with passengers still trapped inside. Rescue personnel worked quickly to extract all 28 injured passengers from the vehicle. Some were transported to Pak Chong Nana Hospital, while others had minor injuries.
During questioning, the driver reported minor injuries and stated he was transporting 28 passengers from Chumphae Bus Station in Khon Kaen Province to Bangkok. The driver indicated that at the time of the accident, heavy rain was falling, likely causing the road to become slippery. The vehicle lost control, crossed into the median lane, and overturned.
Deputy Sergeant Major Boonlai Chaitip noted that photographs and an incident map have been documented. The vehicle has been towed to Nong Saharai Police Station for further inspection and evidence collection to proceed with legal proceedings.
