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

It was faulty equipment, not a burst tire, that caused the bus fire that killed 23 students and teachers.

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

The bus company tampered with the vehicles and Thai officials and businesses are accused of fraud.

On Wednesday, October 2, acting police chief General Kittirat Panpetch said at a press conference that investigators had found no evidence of a bus tire exploding.

Officials inspect the bus that caught fire, killing 23 students and teachers in Pathum Thani province on October 2, 2024.

The bus carrying six teachers and 39 primary and middle school students was departing from Uthai Thani province for a school trip to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces on October 1.

The fire broke out while the bus was on a highway in Pathum Thani, about 260 km from the school.

The fire spread so quickly that many people were unable to escape.

There were 23 deaths, including 20 students and 3 teachers.

Kittirat summarized the progress of the investigation into the bus fire.

At 7:30 p.m., the driver, Saman Chanput, 38, surrendered to the police at Wiset Chaichan station in Ang Thong province.

He was later questioned at Khlong Luang police station in Pathum Thani province.

He told investigators he was driving normally until the bus lost its balance on its right front tire, struck another car and scraped a concrete highway barrier, causing sparks that started the fire.

The driver said he ran to grab a fire extinguisher from another bus traveling on the same route, but was unable to put out the fire and fled because he panicked.

Police charged him with reckless or negligent driving likely to endanger persons or property, causing death, causing physical or mental harm to another, and driving in a manner likely to cause harm to another.

Then failing to stop the vehicle to provide assistance, failing to identify themselves and failing to report the incident to authorities, which resulted in the death of others.

Initially, the suspect confessed to the charges against him.

Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Forensic Sciences and the Department of Land Transport have completed the inspection of the vehicle.

Kittirat said the preliminary hypothesis is that the cause was faulty equipment that created sparks, which led to the fire.

"If any individuals or companies are found to be involved or complicit in these wrongdoings, the Royal Thai Police will pursue prosecutions to the fullest extent possible," he said.

Mr. Eksom Akaraphan, Deputy Director General of the Land Transport Department, who joined the press conference, revealed that the vehicle in question was first registered with the department in 1970.

The Isuzu brand bus was modified with a Benz engine and re-registered on October 15, 2018.

The process followed the procedures of the Department of Land Transportation and was certified by an engineer.

During the inspection, the emergency door was found to be operational, but this does not necessarily mean that it was functional at the time of the incident, as the inspection was carried out after the accident.

However, no window hammer, which is a safety equipment that should be present in the vehicle, was found.

Currently, the carrier's license has been suspended, the driver's license has been suspended, and the registration of the company's security management personnel has been revoked.

On the same day, the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Police General Hospital, in collaboration with the Police Forensic Medicine Bureau, announced that they had completed the identification of the 23 victims.

Gas leak caused fatal fire

The school bus after the fire. Photo:

A forensic investigation concluded that a gas leak was the cause of the bus fire.

On Thursday, October 3, Lieutenant General Trairong Phiewphan, commander of the Office of Forensic Science (OPFS), said an initial investigation revealed that the gas leak occurred at the front of the bus.

An inspection conducted by OPFS officers and experts also revealed that 11 tanks containing compressed natural gas (CNG) had been installed in the bus.

Jirut Wisanjit, director general of the Department of Land Transport (DLT), informed the commission that six of the eleven CNG tanks installed in the bus were registered, while the rest were not.

The inspection revealed that the gas leak was coming from one of the unregistered tanks, which had not been checked by engineers, he said, adding that police were working with the department to determine who was responsible.

"How did the officials inspecting the bus not notice the excessive number of gas tanks?" asked Mr. Jirut.

Cheep Nomsian, director of the AEB, told the parliamentary committee that the bus involved in the accident was a single-decker, not a double-decker.

The inspection revealed no evidence of a front tire explosion, as previously reported, he said, adding that the bus's front wheel shaft was broken and showed signs of scratches against the road surface.

He also said a fuel line, which carries gas from the tank to the engine, had become detached, causing the leak.

Following the incident, the DLT suspended the transport license granted to Panisara Chinnaboot, the operator of the Chinnaboot Tour based in Sing Buri, Mr. Jirut said.

The license will be revoked if the investigation concludes that the company's negligence caused the tragedy.

Mr. Jirut also said that Kanittha Chinnaboot's registration as the company's Transport Safety Manager (TSM) has been revoked.

An investigation has been launched into Alternative Resource Engineering Co, which provides inspection and testing services for gas-powered vehicles.

All 13,426 vehicles using CNG will be inspected within 60 days.

The company is trying to remove illegal gas tanks from other buses

The other five Shinbutra buses were found in a car workshop in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The bus operator Shinbutra's license has been suspended, and other buses have been ordered to report to the Lopburi Provincial Department of Transportation for inspection.

However, Shinbutra did not send the other five buses for inspection, instead they went directly to a car workshop in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

Nakhon Ratchasima provincial transport officials found the buses and discovered that there had been an attempt to remove the illegal CNG gas tanks from the buses.

The officials then informed the police, who seized the five buses for further investigation.

Corruption responsible for children's deaths?

Bereaved families perform a spirit-invoking ritual at the site of the bus fire; monks chant amid cries of pain.

On October 3, Jirut Wisanjit attended a meeting in Parliament with the House of Representatives' Transport Committee to present an initial investigation report into the case.

At the meeting, People's Party MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn criticized the Department of Land Transport.

He pointed out that the department is often accused by the public of being a "grey area" where substantial benefits are extorted.

Some claim that inspections simply rubber-stamp signatures without thorough review.

“The bus in question had CNG gas tanks.

How could the bus catch fire simply because it brushed against a curb?

How did he pass the inspections?

One may therefore wonder whether the inspections are authentic or whether they are simply signatures being sold.

“It’s like we have time bombs on our roads every day,” he said.

Source: Khaosod English , Bangkok Post ,