Singaporean motorcyclist dies in accident on Thai highway during Songkran season
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A motorbike can be seen in dashcam footage skidding into the way of a vehicle before they collided. Timestamps on it indicated it happened on April 17.
PHOTO: SCREEGRAB FROM YING KAREEM/FACEBOOK
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SINGAPORE – A Singaporean man, 26, died in an accident on a southern Thailand highway on April 17 during the kingdom’s recent Songkran season.
The motorcyclist collided with an oncoming pickup truck on the 410 Betong highway, said a Thai road safety committee on April 18. It was raining at the time, it added.
The committee was briefing Mr Amnat Chuathong, deputy governor of Yala about road accident prevention efforts during the April 11 to April 17 Songkran festival in the southern province, Thai public broadcaster NBT reported.
During that period, there were 21 accidents that led to 23 injuries and one fatality – the Singaporean rider.
A vehicle’s dashcam footage of the accident was circulated online by Thai content creators on April 17.
A grey motorbike can be seen skidding into the way of the vehicle before they collided. Timestamps on the camera footage indicated it happened in the afternoon on April 17.
A Thai motorcyclist who wanted to be known as Smith said he had met the Singaporean on a boat ride from Koh Samui to Surat Thani on the mainland on April 16.
The Singaporean was travelling in a group of four riders, Mr Smith said, adding that they told him they had spent a few days on the island of Koh Samui and intended to ride to Hat Yai next.
“I was so shocked,” Mr Smith told The Straits Times, recounting when he learnt of the incident on April 17. “I had just met them the day before.”
