Thailand: Bus driver in tragic fire case arrested
Thai police have arrested the driver of a bus carrying young students and teachers that caught fire and killed 23 in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday.
The scene of the bus fire in Thailand. Photo courtesy of aseannow.com.
The bus carrying six teachers and 39 students in elementary and junior high schools was traveling from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometers north of Bangkok, for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces.
The fire started while the bus was on a highway north of the capital and spread so quickly, making many unable to escape.
Trairong Phiwpan, head of the police forensic department, said 23 bodies were recovered from the bus. The recovery work and confirmation of the total dead had been delayed earlier because the burned vehicle, which was fueled with natural gas, remained too hot to enter for hours.
The driver, identified by the police as Saman Chanput, surrendered in the evening, several hours after the fire. Police said they have charged him with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others, and failing to report the accident.
Bus company owner Songwit Chinnaboot said the bus was inspected for safety twice a year as required and that the gas cylinders had passed the safety standards. He also said he will compensate the victims’ families as best as he can.
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