3 Russians in grave condition after Thai bus accident

Three Russian tourists injured in a bus accident in Thailand earlier on Friday, are in a grave condition, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Maya Lomidze, told Tass. According to ATOR, there were nine tourists, two of them underage, in the bus. “They are in a moderately grave condition, while the condition of three tourists is grave,” Lomidze said. She also noted that “most likely it was not an excursion organized by a tour operator, as Russians bought that tour independently, from a ‘street’ travel agency”. She said “tourists were on their way from Pattaya to ride elephants. All Russians arrived in Thailand through tour operators, that is why they are insured”. All tourists were hospitalized, she said. Earlier, the head of the consular department at the Russian Embassy to Thailand, Andrei Dvornikov, told Tass that a road accident involving a tourist bus in which there were supposedly 23 Russians had taken place in Thailand earlier on Friday. “Information is not exact so far. The Thai side reports about 23 injured. Four or five of them got major injuries. There were 50 or 51 people in the bus. The Thai police identified them as Russian nationals. We check the reports,” the diplomat said.