58 killed on first day of New Year week in Thailand

Bangkok, Dec 31: Road accidents killed 58 people and left injured 517 across Thailand on the first day of the New Year week, a transport official said on Wednesday.

A total of 508 accidents were reported nationwide on the first of the so-called "seven dangerous days", 82.41 percent of which involved motorcycles and 58.86 percent happened on highways, Deputy Transport Minister Arkom Termpittayapaisith said.

Official data showed that drunk driving turned out to be the biggest cause of accidents, followed by speeding, Xinhua reported.

The northern province of Chiang Mai recorded the largest number of accidents, followed by Surat Thani province.

Six fatalities were reported in northeastern Buriram, the highest death toll in all provinces.

IANS