Twenty eight years on - Thailand remembers unforgettable gas tanker explosion

[webfact]

Twenty eight years on - Thailand remembers unforgettable gas tanker explosion

 

Facebook Khao Chao Baan

 

It was one of the most unbelievable accidents in modern Thai history. It was September 24th 1990 at about 10pm when a gas tanker overturned on Petchaburi Road in Bangkok. 

 

The driver had been going fast trying to beat the red light after exiting the expressway. 

 

In an instant 20,000 liters of Liquid Petroleum Gas started spewing onto the roadway and two tanks exploded. 

 

Some 67 cars and motorcycles waiting at the lights were caught up in the fireball. 

 

Many drivers and riders died instantly while still in and on their vehicles. Others were pictured still alive  as they staggered about with the clothes burnt from their bodies. 

 

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Some were just left wearing their shoes and belts. These "walking ghosts" as they were called, were soon to succumb to their dreadful injuries. 

 

The resulting fire engulfed 51 shop houses and terrace houses and billboards.

 

In total 80 people were killed on that fateful night including the driver of the tanker Suthan Fakkhaelek who died in his cab.

 

A court decided the gas tanker was not up to standards resulting in the explosion. 

 

Damage was estimated at nearly 215 million baht. 

 

Most Bangkokians can remember where they were on that night - many had stories of having passed through that area just moments before. 

 

Much of the aftermath was filmed by a TV station that had its offices nearby. The tragedy spawned other features and documentaries.

 

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Gruesome "explosion specials" with graphic pictures sold out quickly from newsstands. 

 

For well over a year after the burnt out cars were seen rusting on the road by the Makkasan Railway yard as a poignant reminder of those who had so tragically lost their lives in the disaster.

 

The remembrance of the event was reported by Khao Chao Baan on Facebook.

 

Extra observations and information are from Thaivisa's own reporter. 

 

Source: Khao Chao Baan

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-09-24

[worgeordie]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

A court decided the gas tanker was not up to standards resulting in the explosion. 

The gas tank was tied on with rope to the back of a truck,

and in 28 years the have not learnt much,at the time they

where going to ban the delivery of gas bottles by motorbike,

so i guess nothing happened there.

 

regards worgeordie

[Dave67]

Lucky to remember something that is unforgettable

Edited September 24, 2018 by Dave67

[SammyT]

I'm generally not one to bag the Thais unnecessarily, but as someone mentioned above - obviously very little has been learned from this tragedy. Road safety is still poor, trucks are still way past their use-by date and not roadworthy, general attitudes towards transporting dangerous good is still terrible.

[bannork]

I remember a doctor who had survived but was badly burnt, explaining he had to change his job to something where he didn't interact with people because his face was so disfigured. He got a job in computers.

[Artisi]

And ever day since, the daily road kill has been increasing and will soon equal the 80 unfortunate deaths from this "accident" - will the current deaths even be remembered next week, very unlikely. 

[bluesofa]

Wasn't there another explosion a few months later, near one of the docks. I don't remember if that was a gas tanker or not? That was around mid-morning and the apartment I was in near Klong Toei shook, everyone thought it was an earthquake at first.

[boonrawdcnx]

I remember that tragedy very well - lived on Petchaburi Rd. Back then.

Must have been around that time when the First Hotel burned on New Year’s Day early morning I saw a woman falling to her death think she tried to hang on to a helicopter.
And around the same time several Air Force planes collided trying to fly in formation. One tragedy after the other back then in Bangkok.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[overherebc]

I remember something similar in the South of France when a tanker went of the road and the gas being heavier than air spread down and over a camping site at lunchtime. The gas obviously reached a gas cooker where people were making lunch and the whole lot ignited.

Sorry, was Spain.

Edited September 24, 2018 by overherebc

[Sydebolle]

The hasty bit is, that this could happen anytime again - all over Thailand. Also wondering, if the truck owner was ever held responsible for his „non-road-worthiness“ .....

[hobobo]

2 hours ago, SammyT said:

I'm generally not one to bag the Thais unnecessarily, but as someone mentioned above - obviously very little has been learned from this tragedy. Road safety is still poor, trucks are still way past their use-by date and not roadworthy, general attitudes towards transporting dangerous good is still terrible.

… and even when the trucks are roadworthy, their driver usually aren't!

[Jeremy50]

A terrible event, but let's not forget the eight hundred thousand people who have died on Thai roads since that date.

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Gruesome "explosion specials" with graphic pictures sold out quickly from newsstands. 

Ah huh...

[bfc1980]

I remember being told about this during my Thai culture course a few years ago. It was said that Thai culture believes that the cause of the accident was because of bad spirits, karma etc in the vicinity.

 

I sat there open mouthed, not able to believe the garbage that I was being told. I had only been in the country for a few days and was already beginning to see how backward some people can be.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

It was one of the most unbelievable accidents in modern Thai history.

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Could very easily occur today or tomorrow in Thailand again.

 

An "accident" they say?? Sorry, but I don't think so.

 

A speeding truck driver trying to beat a red light. A truck carrying hazardous, flammable fuel that wasn't up to standard.

 

In my view, that's a crime by the driver and whomever was responsible for the truck, not merely an accident.

 

Except in Thailand, crimes like that are usually called "accidents."  Somehow, it sounds better that way and takes the focus off of the responsibility of those involved.

 

[CLW]

Are there any documentaries available on YT or similar?

[Fallangpakwan]

I was working in BKK then, was a hell of a mess., many of the dead were very upper-class jus heading home some big function.

[Mitker]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

I remember something similar in the South of France when a tanker went of the road and the gas being heavier than air spread down and over a camping site at lunchtime. The gas obviously reached a gas cooker where people were making lunch and the whole lot ignited.

Sorry, was Spain.

Los Alfaques

if I remember correctly

[overherebc]

2 minutes ago, Mitker said:

Los Alfaques

if I remember correctly

Yes, final figures I think 103 dead.

[mehrdad]

Actually this happened in pratunam center building area and now this shopping center is never success ! After many year but thai people believed here is too much ghost!! So this shopping mall(paladium) is no customer in all the time !

Edited September 24, 2018 by mehrdad

[trainman34014]

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

The gas tank was tied on with rope to the back of a truck,

and in 28 years the have not learnt much,at the time they

where going to ban the delivery of gas bottles by motorbike,

so i guess nothing happened there.

 

regards worgeordie

And in another 28 years things will still be the same....you can't fix stupid !

 

[oldrunner]

I vividly remember that my wife and I WERE NOT THERE but felt terrible for this killed or injured because of that stupid driver.

[oldlakey]

25 minutes ago, oldrunner said:

I vividly remember that my wife and I WERE NOT THERE but felt terrible for this killed or injured because of that stupid driver.

Its the system that allows it to happen, and as others have already said, no change there then

[The manic]

5 hours ago, SammyT said:

I'm generally not one to bag the Thais unnecessarily, but as someone mentioned above - obviously very little has been learned from this tragedy. Road safety is still poor, trucks are still way past their use-by date and not roadworthy, general attitudes towards transporting dangerous good is still terrible.

But there has been no similar accident since.  Actually I had just started work in Bangkok when this happened

[Jane Dough]

1 hour ago, mehrdad said:

Actually this happened in pratunam center building area and now this shopping center is never success ! After many year but thai people believed here is too much ghost!! So this shopping mall(paladium) is no customer in all the time !

Total nonsense. It happened several kms from there near the intersection of Petchaburi and Withayu (Wireless) Roads where the expressway comes onto Petchaburi. 

[The manic]

1 hour ago, Fallangpakwan said:

I was working in BKK then, was a hell of a mess., many of the dead were very upper-class jus heading home some big function.

I had just started work on Bangkok that month.

[Fallangpakwan]

2 minutes ago, The manic said:

I had just started work on Bangkok that month.

And my 10th year, we had work in gas plant,pipelines,refinerys,crude oil tank farms etc, and in my near 20 years of that never encountered any accident anywhere near as horrific here in Thailand

[The manic]

8 minutes ago, Fallangpakwan said:

And my 10th year, we had work in gas plant,pipelines,refinerys,crude oil tank farms etc, and in my near 20 years of that never encountered any accident anywhere near as horrific here in Thailand

I was working in Bangkok. My first week of work.

[SammyT]

44 minutes ago, The manic said:

But there has been no similar accident since.  Actually I had just started work in Bangkok when this happened

True, but how many multiple fatality accidents do we see that result from unsafe equipment or unsafe driving? It's a pretty freak accident to happen in the first place, I wouldn't have thought that a similar accident would happen too often...

[SammyT]

2 hours ago, bfc1980 said:

I sat there open mouthed, not able to believe the garbage that I was being told. I had only been in the country for a few days and was already beginning to see how backward some people can be.

To be fair, I an ex-pat American Christian woman once told me in a cafe in Chiang Mai that her best friend's husband turned gay because he hadn't prayed enough and the devil had taken over him. 

 

Thus, lots of cultures have stupid beliefs.