CHAIYAPHUM - Fifteen people were injured when their double-decker bus crashed into a parked 18-wheel trailer truck carrying steel rods in Muang district early Tuesday morning.
The accident happened about 1am on Highway 201 in tambon Nong Na Saeng about 3.5 kilometres from the centre of Muang district.
The front of the Bangkok-registered bus was crushed by the collision with the rear of the trailer truck. The 15 injured people were taken to Chaiyaphum Hospital. Most suffered injuries to their limbs and waists.
One of the injured, Supachai Kaeosa-ard, 65, said the bus departed Mo Chit terminal in Bangkok at 8.30pm on Monday and was destined for Nong Khai province. It ran without a stopover or driver replacement and the crash happened as most passengers were sleeping, he said.
Bus driver Preecha Marit, 48, said the bus carried 35 passengers and he did not see the parked trailer truck. He denied he was dozing off.
Truck driver Thaweesak Phuttharaksa, 33, said his truck carried steel rods from Lop Buri and he had parked on the roadside, for a rest, about 30 minutes before the crash.
