At least 191 people have died during Thailand’s Songkran festival, a celebration often dubbed the “world’s largest water fight,” after a surge in road accidents and travel-related incidents over the holiday period. Authorities confirmed that hundreds more have already been injured in just the first 72 hours of the annual event, which marks the Thai New Year and draws huge crowds of locals from cities including Bangkok and tourists.
While the week-long festival – with key locations in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya – is widely known for its lively street celebrations involving water-splashing, officials warn that it also coincides with one of the most dangerous travel periods of the year. The majority of fatalities were linked to road traffic accidents, with speeding, drink-driving, and failure to wear helmets among the leading causes. Motorcycles accounted for a significant share of crashes, highlighting their widespread use nationwide.
In the first three days of Songkran this year, more than 191 deaths have been recorded, with 951 accidents and 911 injuries. 51 people died in road incidents on the first day of celebrations alone. Speeding was the leading cause of fatalities (just under 42%), followed by drink driving (27%).
According to the Road Accident Victims Protection Company, an average of 38 road deaths per day occur throughout the calendar year – a large increase over the Songkran festival.
Nicknamed the “seven dangerous days”, the death toll is also driven by “speeding and risky behaviours such as not wearing helmets”.
“The highest number of accidents occurred between 3:01pm and 6:00pm,” the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported.
Government agencies had launched safety campaigns ahead of the celebrations, setting up checkpoints and urging travellers to exercise caution. Despite these efforts, the spike in holiday travel once again resulted in a high number of casualties.
Songkran is typically a time of celebration, reunions of Thais from across the country and cultural traditions, but the rising toll has prompted renewed calls for stricter enforcement of road safety laws and greater public awareness. Officials have said they will review existing measures and consider additional steps to reduce fatalities in future celebrations. Already, as part of stricter restrictions during the festival, seven French tourists were arrested over their disruptive Songkran water play, according to The Nation.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Thailand already ranks as the ninth most-deadly nation for road crashes among member countries.
The national holiday is expected to attract around 500,000 international visitors and 30.4 billion baht in revenue (£702million).
