A driver was killed and 47 students and teachers were injured when their Bangkok-bound bus crashed into the rear of a truck carrying sugarcane, as it was crossing from the in-bound to the outbound lane in Dan Khun Thot district of Nakhon Ratchasima province on Friday night.

Police say that the bus, carrying a large group of young students, aged between 9 and 11, and their teachers, was heading for Bangkok on a study tour.

Police said that a similar accident happened on March 17^th last year, when a tour bus, carrying students on another study tour, collided with a car and plunged into a roadside ditch in Sawankhalok district of Sukhothai province. Two students were killed and over 40 others injured.

Such fatal accidents involving students on study or sight-seeing tours have raised questions about the suitability and safety of travelling during the hours of darkness.

According to the guidelines, set out by the Office of the Basic Education Commission, night-time travel by students on study or sight-seeing tours is not permitted. They also stipulate that the routes chosen must be safe, the buses used must be in good working order and the drivers must possess a valid driver’s license and have a good driving record. There must also be two drivers for each bus for rotation, if the journey is to take four hours or longer.