Holiday pals critical after their airport bus crashes

EIGHT British tourists were injured – three critically – after their minibus crashed soon after picking them up at Bangkok airport.

The unnamed holidaymakers were part of a larger group which had just landed in the Thai capital en route to party resort Pattaya.

Police said the transfer vehicle suffered a tyre blowout before it careered into the central reservation on a motorway.

The eight injured tourists – all believed to be men – received first aid at the scene, before being taken to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

Dramatic pictures, taken moments after the collision, showed them being treated by paramedics.

Members of the public can also be seen comforting some of the men by the roadside, just yards from the mangled wreckage of the bus.

One “walking wounded” victim could be seen managing to limp into an ambulance while supported by two of the rescue workers.

The party’s suitcases and holdalls had been thrown out of the Toyota van during the collision and were strewn across scrubland alongside the motorway.

Officers are also checking whether the driver was speeding before the incident, which happened 10.30am local time.

Captain Nakhonrat Nontseelard, of Pattaya Police, said the three most badly injured tourists were rushed to hospital by paramedics.

The other five – badly injured but conscious after the accident – were also admitted.

Driver Thanakorn To-iam, 53, was treated for injuries to his right leg and nose but was able to be interviewed by police. He told them he at about had just picked the passengers up at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and was travelling along the Bangkok to Chon Buri motorway when the incident happened.

The police captain added: “The initial evidence from the scene of the crash was that a tyre blew and the van lost control.

“But we also need to check if anything else could have caused the crash.”

Officers are now examining the smashed vehicle’s dash-cam and tyre track marks.

An emergency service spokesman confirmed: “There were eight injured people in the minivan.

“They were all travelling from the UK.”

Pattaya is a coastal resort, 100 miles from Bangkok.

It is popular with parties of British male tourists and is known for its racy nightlife, as well as beautiful beaches and golf courses. footage together about