Russian tourists sit forlornly
by the side of the road after the bus they had been traveling in skidded off
the road, overturned and crashed into a utility pole near Pattaya.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
Thirty Russian tourists were injured when their Kanchanaburi-bound
tour bus skidded off the road and crashed into a utility pole near Pattaya.
Three Russian women - Galina Katorova, 59, Anzhelika Sotnikova, 39, and
Nadezda Anokhova, 35 - immediately were placed in critical condition. Other
injured passengers identified were Gary Pomeransev, 75, Tatiana Dolgintceva,
27, Larisa Bolshova, 52, Andrey Sivoplias, 35, Misha Anokhon, 12, Alexsandr
Kartkev, 35, Valeriia Sotnikova, 20, and Kristina Khomenko, 25, and a
7-year-old boy.
Fifty-one passengers were aboard the double-decker bus. Thirteen were taken
to Somitiwej Sriracha Hospital and another 10 to Phyathai Sriracha Hospital,
both in Sriracha.
The Nov. 15 crash, the latest in a string of mishaps to injure or kill
Pattaya-area tourists, occurred on a stretch of Highway 36 in Bung District
before the Nong Kwae Bridge. Driver Preecha Ramwong, 50, insisted to police
he was driving within the speed limit, but lost control of the bus after he
was cut off by an overtaking car.
Police arrested Preecha on reckless-driving charges, speculating that, in
fact, he fell asleep behind the wheel. The crash occurred around 6:30 a.m.
as the tourists were headed for a day of elephant trekking in Kanchanaburi.
The accident occurred less than two weeks after a ferry capsized off Koh
Larn, killing seven tourists, including a 12-year old Russian boy. Moscow
media reports that Thailand now holds the 2013 record for the greatest
number of accidents involving Russian tourists. Since January, there have
been 30 accidents involving Russians.