Thailand’s annual Songkran festivities have once again been marred by tragedy on the roads, with 138 lives lost in just four days as millions crisscross the country for the traditional New Year celebrations. The latest figures from the Road Safety Operation Centre paint a grim picture, with 1,002 injuries recorded alongside the mounting death toll.

Songkran Road Toll Rises as 39 Lives Lost on Second Day of Holiday Exodus

Monday alone saw 34 people killed in 241 accidents, continuing a deadly pattern where speeding (44% of crashes) and drunk driving (25%) remain the leading killers. Motorcycles continue to bear the brunt, involved in 77% of all collisions. While this year’s toll shows an 18% decrease from 2023’s 169 deaths during the same period, the numbers remain staggering.

Songkran road accidents and injuries pass 1,000 https://t.co/eYANi4ROoj

— Bangkok Post (@BKK_POST) April 15, 2025

Phatthalung province leads with the most accidents (36), Lampang tops injury counts (40), and Bangkok has suffered the highest fatalities (13). As the holiday winds down, transportation hubs across provinces like Nakhon Ratchasima are swelling with early returnees. Long queues formed at bus terminals serving Bangkok and eastern industrial areas, where many migrant workers are headed back to their jobs.

Drunken Driver Plows Into Songkran Crowd in Chachoengsao, Leaving Over 12 Injured

Transport authorities are bracing for the full return wave, with Acting Transport Co managing director Chatchawal Promtham preparing 4,800 interprovincial bus trips to handle at least 100,000 travelers through Thursday. The government’s seven-day monitoring period continues through the extended five-day holiday weekend, as Thailand grapples yet again with the deadly price of its festive migration.

-Thailand News (TN)