Yesterday, officials from the Japanese Embassy along with staff from the AsiaOne Teck Funeral (THF) which specializes in international transportation of corpses arrived at the Thammasat Hospital’s Central Forensics Science Institute to take delivery of the bodies of the deceased.
Also the younger brother of the Thai guide, Piyathip, came to the institute to identify and claim his sister’s body.
He stated that his sister’s body would be taken back to their hometown in Nakhon Phanom for the funeral rite.
In another development, lawyer from R.L. Service Co. Ltd which runs the passenger van service, made a public apology over the tragic accident.
He assured that all compensation and aid will be provided in accordance with the law but will have to wait for the results of the formal police investigation.
The company confirmed that the van was in good operating condition and complied with all the Land Transport Department’s specifications prior to the accident.
Information released by the Ayutthaya branch of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that the Japanese tourists were travelling with Tiger Tourist Service which has insurance policies that will pay out 1 million baht in the event of fatality for employees.
Tourists will receive 2.2 million baht each as specified by Thai insurance laws.
Pol Col Sa-nga Thira-Saranyanont, Ayutthaya police deputy commander, said investigators have carried out preliminary questioning of Charun Aksornsri, the van driver, who gave them beneficial information.
He confirmed that the driver’s testimony correlates with physical evidence that has already been collected and the case file will become complete after police obtain forensic examination results from the hospital.
A check on the van’s tracking device by transport officials indicated that it was travelling at 93 kilometer per hour which led them to speculate that the accident was due to reckless driving.
Moreover, no braking traces was found at the scene, indicating that the driver did not apply the brake when the vehicle slammed into the 10-wheel truck.
