Thailand's road death toll tops 500

Official figures in Thailand show that more than 500 people were killed and 45,000 others were injured in accidents during the six-day-long holiday period.

Most of the casualties were due to road accidents, which have largely been blamed on drunk drivers.

Officials have expressed shock at the high number of accidents and called on local authorities to be more vigorous at stamping out drink driving and enforcing traffic regulations.

The health ministry has put the estimated cost of the damage at more than $400m.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service