The Phuket Road Safety Centre announced that during the seven days around New Year’s Eve, there were 27 accidents, compared with 66 in the same period last year.
Last New Year’s Eve 70 people were injured badly enough to require hospitalisation, and six died. This year, the number of injured fell to 24 (including three foreigners) but nine people died – seven Thais and two Russian tourists.
“The main cause of the accidents was alcohol,” an official from the Phuket Public Health Office told The Phuket News.
Asked about injuries from fireworks at New Year, she said that nothing serious had been reported in Phuket, unlike the some other provinces.