The region of Sai Yak in Kanchanaburi province is particularly popular for its national park of the same name. Thailand tourists are often driven by local tourist guides to the numerous waterfalls. A minibus carrying a German couple has crashed in the region.
According to a media report, a German tourist and his local driver died in a serious traffic accident in Thailand. The accident happened early Sunday evening on an expressway in the Sai Yok district northwest of Bangkok, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted police spokesman Sarit Tikhasuk as saying.
A German couple was traveling in a minibus with a local tourist guide and a driver when an oncoming SUV suddenly swerved across the center line, it said. The two vehicles collided head-on. The destroyed wreck of the van could be seen in photos.
According to the information, the driver of the minibus died immediately. All other occupants of the vehicles were injured in the accident and taken to a nearby hospital. The German died there from his serious injuries. His wife is still being treated in the clinic. The police began investigations into the cause of the accident. It was not known where the couple came from in Germany.
The region of Sai Yak is located in the province of Kanchanaburi and is known, among other things, for the national park of the same name. The area with its numerous waterfalls and limestone cliffs is very popular with local and foreign tourists.
Tourism in Thailand recovered surprisingly strongly from the Corona crisis last year. 11.15 million foreign visitors came to the Southeast Asian country, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism. In 2021 – when there were far-reaching travel restrictions due to the pandemic – there were only around 428,000. Last December alone, 2.24 million guests were received – almost ten times as many as the year before.