BANGKOK: A deadly train crash last week near a beach resort in Thailand was the fault of the driver who fell asleep after taking antihistamines and other cold medicine, the head of a fact-finding panel said yesterday. Related readings:  Officials: 6 dead in Croatia train crash  Car manufacturers mistake cause of fatal train crash  Computer failure may have caused D.C. train crash  Railway staff stand trial for fatal train crash The Bangkok-bound train derailed October 5 near the coastal city of Hua Hin, killing seven people and injuring 88. About a half-dozen of the trains 16 cars derailed in a twisted heap after the train jumped the tracks during an overnight trip from the southern city of Trang. The driver admitted that he dozed off because he took medication for fever and allergies, said State Railway of Thailand deputy governor Pakorn Tangjetsakao, who headed a fact-finding panel. While asleep, the driver jumped a red light and awoke in time to see he was headed straight for a parked freight train, prompting him to abruptly try to shift tracks, which resulted in the derailment, said Pakorn. The panel also found that the driver, 49-year-old Roengsak Panthep, had been given only one day off since the beginning of September and was suffering from stress, Pakorn said. The panel has recommended the driver be fired for reckless driving and for violating driving regulations, Pakorn said. The findings will be turned over to an SRT disciplinary committee for final approval. A separate police investigation is under way. The panel also recommended 15 percent pay cuts for the next 10 months for two other crew members on board. The mechanic testified that he did not hear radio signals for the train to stop because he has a hearing problem, Pakorn said. Members of the railway union have called for the resignation of the rail authoritys governor, saying that mismanagement, budget cuts and old trains are to blame for a number of recent derailments on Thailands aging rail network. They cannot just blame the driver, said Sawit Kaewwan, a union leader. Train workers have been overworked due to a policy to limit recruitment of more staff. They have failed to solve the problem of massive shortage of workers. One day before the Hua Hin crash, a freight train carrying cement powder derailed north of Bangkok, the capital. There were no casualties. On October 1, a passenger train in western Kanchanabhuri province derailed following heavy rain. AP Derrick Rose Jersey Redop row, left to right: Coaches: Jeff Harper, Eric Newman, Bobby Schoenborn, Laban Levy, and Shawn Bouillion. Ryan Kesler JerseyIlc is NHl of jokes and enjoys life as thoroughly as yon[ or r. Ile call play a game of cards and beat you. Ee gets around his rooms in the ... His hobby is said to be natural history, and his most interesting pro. duction is his daughter Claudia, whom, together with 200 other Derrick Rose Jersey BlackAll NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. . All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPADerrick Rose Jersey Bulls Also known as Westmount Arena, this rink hosted the first two games in NHL history, both on December 19, 1917Discount Tiffany WatchesBesides its good defense, Hanover held off Noll in the later innings with a pitching switch. Stewart, who only started a couple games all season, began the game in the circle. She’s what they call in the softball world a “junk-baller”?who don’t throw that hard. Then McMillen brought in his hard-throwing No. 1 pitcher Yoways in the fourth inning. After she got past control issues in that first inning of work, Noll only had two hits the rest of the way. A string of natural disasters has ravaged the mainland, from the serious southwestern drought early this year to the Yushu earthquake in April and widespread floods at present. These have tested the will of the Chinese. Premier Wen Jiabao has called for officials to prepare for more serious floods and disasters as the nation braces itself for the worst flooding in a decade. Rain-triggered flooding has affected nearly 113 million people in 27 provinces and municipalities. The latest statistics from the States Office of Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters indicate floods in China this year left 823 people dead and 437 missing as of Monday morning, with direct economic losses of 154 billion yuan ($22.6 billion). The violent floods have brought back memories of severe Yangtze River flooding in southern China in 1998, when 230 million residents were affected, 3,656 killed and 20.44 million displaced. As a result of global climate change, we are witnessing more and more extreme climate cases that have engendered numerous natural disasters. However, abnormal natural phenomena cannot serve as the only scapegoat for the significant losses to lives and property. We should also examine the man-made factors behind those disasters, such as reckless ecological destruction, unscientific urban construction and project-related corruption in water control programs, etc. Reclaiming land from lakes caused large-scale shrinkage of natural lakes, which lowered their capacity to regulate water flows in rivers. Thanks to huge investment and years of effort, the capability of major rivers in controlling floods has been improved substantially. However, the upgradation and maintenance of many medium and small-sized tributaries and reservoirs have been neglected. Meanwhile, serious water loss and soil erosion has also aggravated flood prevention measures. Due to the nations speedy economic growth and urbanization, many plans and development projects that only seek quick success and instant benefits have damaged the environment and lowered the capacity of natural hydrology systems in self-regulating floods. The natures capacity to bear abnormalities is declining. In addition, many cities have suffered water logging due to the unscientific design of drainage systems and urban expansion that has occupied river courses. While facing catastrophes, we Chinese are fully aware that hardship can make a country stronger, but man-made disasters cannot be condoned, particularly jerry-built projects on riverbanks, Wu Longgui argued in Beijing Youth Daily. It has been reported that not long ago the Fuhe River breached its bank at the Changkai section, threatening the lives and properties of about 100,000 local residents. Currently, 17 dikes in Jiangxi province are in danger because of the rising flood.    Previous Page 1 2 Next Page      Previous Page 1 2 Next Page   ' ' '