Red Bull heir charged in Thai police officer's death

Thai police inspect a Ferrari owned by Vorayuth Yoovidhya, grandson of the creator of Red Bull energy drink.Vorayud Yoovidhaya, 27, is a prominent member of one of Thailand's richest familiesPolice Sgt. Major Wichien Klanprasert was responding to a robbery when his bike was hit Wealth doesn't mean you can "drive carelessly," one of his grieving sisters saysVorayud claims he was suddenly cut off by the police motorcycle, the police say

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The family of a Thai police officer killed in a car crash in Bangkok expressed shock and grief Tuesday over his death, which the grandson of the creator of the Red Bull energy drink has been charged with causing.

Police Sgt. Major Wichien Klanprasert was responding to a robbery call when his motorcycle was hit by what a witness described as a black sports car at 5 a.m. on Monday, the Bangkok Police said.

The police subsequently arrested Vorayud Yoovidhaya, 27, a prominent member of one of Thailand's richest families whose wealth is connected to Red Bull, and charged him with causing a death with negligence and hit and run.

"I'm so shocked and very sad. I am just stunned," said Ubol Thongsanin, one of Wichien's sisters, as she visited the scene of the crash on Tuesday.

"I want to tell the parents that they should teach their children to drive carefully," she said.

Another sister, Chuanpit Choosurisaeng, had a message for the driver of the sports car that allegedly killed her brother: "When you have big money, it doesn't mean you can drive carelessly. You must think of others who are sharing the same road, too."

According to the police account, investigators followed the path of leaked oil from the crash scene to the home of Vorayud. Dozens of police surrounded the mansion before entering with a search warrant and discovering a badly damaged black Ferrari.

The front was wrecked and its air bags deployed, said Bangkok Police Maj. Gen. Parinya Jansuriya.

Vorayud was taken to a police station for questioning and the car was seized by investigators, he said. Vorayud admitted driving the car and hitting the motorcycle, but he claimed he was suddenly cut off by the bike, according to Police Maj. Gen. Aunuchi Lekbumrung.

After he was charged, Vorayud was quickly released on a bond of 500,000 baht, about $16,000.

The controversial case also resulted in the suspension of a police officer who was accused of having another person pretend to have been driving Vorayud's car.

The man who had claimed to have been driving the car was fined 6,000 baht, about $200, the Police Chief Kumronvit Thoopkrachang said.

Vorayud's late grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhaya, teamed with an Austrian businessman to create the Red Bull brand and products based on a Thai drink. His father, Chalerm Yoovidhaya, is an executive with the energy drink company.

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Death toll rises in China mine blast

Rescuers search for survivors at a coal mine after a gas explosion in Panzhihua in China's Sichuan province Wednesday.NEW: More miners found deadSo far, 107 miners have been rescued, city saysCarbon monoxide and searing temperatures hamper rescue effortsLast year, 1,970 people were killed in some 1,200 mining accidents, government says

(CNN) -- The death toll from the coal mine blast in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan rose Friday afternoon to 41, as rescuers tried to reach five trapped miners whose fates were unknown, according to the local government.

So far, 107 miners have been rescued from the Xiaojiawan Coal Mine, most of them within an hour of the Wednesday evening gas explosion, according to Panzhihua city's official account on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter.

In all, 154 miners were working underground when the accident occurred.

Carbon monoxide and searing temperatures hindered rescue efforts.

"The temperature in the pit is very high, and the air is not very good. The rescuers need respirators to stay longer," state-run China Daily quoted Tang Zhong, a rescuer, as saying.

Roof collapses within tunnels further hampered access, said Fu Jianhua, director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety, according to the paper.

The mine belongs to Zhengjin Industry and Trade Co., Ltd. in Panzhihua, according to state-run media.

The owner of the mine has been taken into police custody, pending an investigation, state media cited sources as saying.

China has an estimated 12,000 coal mines, according to state media, and the profession remains a deadly one.

Last year, 1,970 people were killed in some 1,200 mining accidents, State Administrative of Work Safety spokesman Huang Yi said at a news conference last week, according to China Daily.

As of August 20, more than 500 coal mine accidents occurred this year, claiming 832 lives, according to the administration's data cited by China Daily.

CNN's Tian Shao contributed to this report.

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