BANGKOK, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Songkran "Water Festival" holiday highway death toll approached 200, adding grim news to erase the festive spirit for hundreds of families nationwide, the Thai News Agency said on Wednesday.

    According to official figures, the death toll from road accidents during the first five days of the Songkran festival through Tuesday reached 194 while the number of the injured was recorded at 2,274.

    In his capacity as deputy director of the road safety center, Sermsak Pongpanit, caretaker deputy interior minister said that on April 11, the fifth day of the 10-day Songkran Thai New Year holiday window of danger period, there were 484 accidents, claiming 56 lives and injuring 532 persons.

    Fourteen provinces out of 76 provinces all over the country reported no deaths.

    During the first five days, there were 194 deaths, 45 less than the 239 deaths reported at this time in 2005 -- a drop of nearly 19 percent. The number of the injured in total was 2,274, amounting to 321 fewer persons injured than reported last year.

    The northern province of Chiang Rai recorded the most injuries, followed by Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom Province.

    The major cause of the road accidents is drunken driving, accounting for over 31 percent of all accidents, followed by driving at excessive speeds. Motorcycles are involved in nearly 85 percent of road accidents, followed by pick-up trucks, and privatecars. Enditem