The Songkran road death toll has already seen 30 fatalities despite the fact that Thai New Year celebrations do not officially start until April 13.
Chief of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department Anucha Mokkawet revealed at least 286 accidents have been reported since midnight Friday. Thirty people have died and 314 have been injured on roads.
Thai New Year revelers started partying a weekend early with the Chakri public holiday last Thursday, prompting a mass exodus of Thais from the capital to visit families in rural in the countryside.
The ancient ritual of Songkran traditionally gathered families in monasteries where the young would pour water over the palms of elders to pay respect. Today, the ritual has escalated to all-out, drunken water warfare where no dry pedestrians are safe from a drenching.
