Thailand: 50 foreign tourists narrowly escape bus fire

A bus caught fire while passengers, foreign tourists, were dining nearby, narrowly escaping the incident on Thursday, October 17.

Less than 20 days after the terrible bus fire that claimed the lives of 20 young children and 3 teachers on October 1, 2024, another bus caught fire, but luckily the passengers were in a restaurant.

See: Thailand: 20 children killed in CNG school bus fire

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but we do know that the bus, unlike the one that killed the children, did not run on compressed natural gas (CNG) but on diesel.

This second bus fire, which could have caused many casualties, is worrying news for travelers, as the bus is one of the most practical and economical ways to get around the country.

See: Transport in Thailand, getting around in the land of smiles

The fire broke out in the middle and rear sections of an air-conditioned tour bus parked on a service road opposite Khao Khaen Park in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast Thailand.

Three fire trucks were dispatched to the scene and it took about 30 minutes to bring the flames under control.

A tourist bus caught fire in Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday, October 17. Three fire trucks were dispatched to the scene and it took about 30 minutes to bring the flames under control.

The bus driver explained that he had driven a group of 50 Indonesian tourists from Bangkok to visit the Pak Chong district.

Along the way, the bus stopped at a nearby restaurant so that tourists could have dinner.

While they were eating, a fire suddenly broke out in the back seat of the bus.

People exercising at Khao Khaen Park saw the flames and quickly alerted the driver, who then contacted emergency services.

The driver insisted he had no idea what caused the fire, as the bus ran on diesel fuel and the engine had never had any problems before.

Fortunately, no one was inside the bus at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

The tourists' luggage is also unharmed.

Officials from Forensic Center 3 are to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

After the incident, the Pak Chong municipality arranged for vans to transport the 50 Indonesian tourists to their hotel, which had been pre-booked by the tour company.

The age of this bus is not yet known, but the bus that carried the children had been in service for 54 years.

There are many buses from another era in Thailand, and this type of accident is not uncommon.

See: A bus carrying 39 French tourists catches fire in Thailand

Perhaps it is time, for the safety of all passengers, that buses that are past their expiry date and are only holding up with multiple tinkering measures be scrapped and replaced by a new fleet.

See also:

Thailand: Grief and anger at cremation of children killed on bus

Thailand: Terrible revelation in the bus fire that killed 20 children

Minibus crash in Thailand: one dead, 13 foreign tourists injured

Source: Pattaya Mail