Thailand's New Year festival death toll hits 375

The National Accident Monitoring Cell said 265 people have been killed and 15,705 people injured in road accidents since Thursday, a day before the start of the three-day festival of Songkran. Another 110 people were killed and 13,672 injured in drunken brawls, electrocution, drowning and other accidents related to the festival, the accident agency said. The death toll this year is the highest recorded during Songkran, when Thais travel to their hometowns or visit relatives and holiday resorts. Last year, 164 people were killed during the festival period, the Nation newspaper said. Traditional Songkran celebrations require sprinkling water on each other to ensure rain for the coming rice planting season. In recent years, the celebrations have become more raucous and have included water fights.