Tragic incident as a Lao female passenger reported feeling motion sickness before being found lying dead on the floor of a tour bus. The exact cause of death requires further forensic examination.
At 07:00 on 16 May 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Kittiwat Khonhanar (Investigator) of Mueang Mukdahan Police Station received a report of a deceased person on a Bangkok-Mukdahan route tour bus parked at Mukdahan Bus Terminal, Mueang District, Mukdahan Province. Upon arrival with a Mukdahan hospital doctor, the body of Mrs. Phon Panthirad, 29, was found lying dead on the floor near the last seats. Initial examination indicated she had been deceased for at least two hours.
According to a 61-year-old bus driver, the deceased boarded at Mo Chit Bus Terminal at 19:30 on 15 May, destined for Mukdahan Bus Terminal. About 10 kilometers before reaching Mukdahan, while stopped briefly and inspecting the vehicle, he found the woman lying on the floor. He immediately called emergency services, who confirmed she was dead. He then proceeded to park at Mukdahan Bus Terminal and informed police upon arrival.
A Lao passenger said they noticed the deceased seemed unwell before boarding in Bangkok and asked if she was alright. The woman said she was motion sick and asked if someone could buy food for her child. Later, the deceased requested to sit with the speaker, but the driver said she had to sit in her assigned seat. Several hours later, just before the destination, she was found deceased.
The forensic examination by Mukdahan hospital doctors is ongoing to determine the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, relatives in Laos have been informed and are preparing to receive the body for religious funeral rites.