Investigators found that the cause of the Thailand bus accident did not match the driver’s statements.
THAILAND BUS ACCIDENT – According to the initial investigation, the cause of the fire was not because of a tire that exploded.
Grieving families of the victims of the Thailand school bus fire tragedy wept as they offered prayers to the departed ones. On October 1, a horrifying sight of a blazing bus in the middle of the road shocked the world.
20 children and three teachers died and were returned to their respective families following the DNA testing done. The DNA testing was needed as the remains of the victims were too charred for them to be recognized and identified.
The victims are the students and teachers of Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in the northern province of Uthai Thani. They were on a field trip when the bus crashed and burst into flames near the Zeer Rangsit shopping center in Lam Luk Ka district.
The bus driver has been arrested. The driver, Saman Chanput, escaped after trying to put out the fire but later that same day, he turned himself in to the authorities. He will be charged with “reckless or careless driving that may endanger people or property, causing death, causing physical or mental harm to others, and driving in a way that causes damage to others, then failing to stop the vehicle to provide assistance, not identifying himself, and not reporting the incident to authorities, resulting in the death of others.”
As per his claims, he felt the bus suddenly lose balance. A tire exploded causing it to hit another car before it crashed to a barrier.
However, according to the investigators, what they found out did not match the statements of the driver.
Thailand bus accident initial investigation
According to the inspection done by the officials from the Forensic Science Department and the Department of Land Transport, the bus had 11 fuel tanks with only 6 of them registered. The remaining 5 were unregistered.
Based on their preliminary assumption, faulty equipment was the cause of the sparks that led to a fire. However, more evidence is needed to prove this. More details are still needed including the tire marks, GPS data, and vehicle speed.
Mr. Eksom Akaraphan, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport shared that the bus was first registered in 1970 and was registered again in 1998.
Upon inspection, the emergency door was operational but it does not mean it is functional. Moreover, no glass-breaking hammer was found on the bus.
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