Sole Survivor of Minivan Fire that Burned 11 People Alive in Nakhon Ratchasima Tells His Story

[webfact]

PHOTO: Thairath Online

 

By Tanakorn Panyadee

Nakhon Ratchasima province — The only survivor who could escape a minivan inferno that killed 11 people, including two children, came out to tell his horrific true story.
 

The survivor, Mr. Thanachit Kingkaew, a 20-year-old student, was only slightly injured by the accident. He told Thai media: “I was asleep and then woke up because I heard someone scream.”

 

“The van was already upside down, and I did not see what happened.”

 

Thanachit stated that the situation was catastrophic, and he saw a fire catching up from the back of the van.

 

“I began to kick the glass windows and clawed my way out, and shortly after, the van exploded 3-4 times.”

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/23/update-sole-survivor-of-minivan-fire-that-burned-11-people-alive-in-nakhon-ratchasima-tells-his-story/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-24

 

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[Tarteso]

In one word; Reborn ????

Edited January 23, 2023 by Tarteso

[gerritkaew]

Unbearable lucky to survive this..

 

[kwilco]

It seems to be the van needs to be looked at.

Buses and public transport account for about 1% of road deaths.

 

Of curse when they happen they are multiple and grab the attention of the media. However th toyota Commuter vans are made in Thailand and account for over 90% of te market - this means they are by far the most common vehicles in accidents.

This van or similar models are also available in Japan and Philippines. They aren't sold in Europe as they don't comply to EU regs.

This doesn't mean the van itself is inherently unsafe, 

However not for the first time, I believe the occupants were killed in the subsequent fire - this poses the question of what were the "3 explosions" described by the sole survivor. Te LNP system I would imagine is fitted post production and again one should surely confirm that this was fitted according to rigorous safety standards,

Human error my have been the initial factor in the accident but it seems quite possible that what could have been just injuries was turned fatal by the behaviour of the vehicle and the road environment in the crash.

 

For comparison, a double decker overturned in the UK last week with 71 people on board - no explosion, no fire and no deaths.

Edited January 23, 2023 by kwilco

[hotchilli]

Truly horrific way to end your days, trapped in an upside down vehicle that then catches fire...

Jeez....

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

Human error my have been the initial factor in the accident

I'm not a gambling man, but I would go ALL in that it was human error, why, because without a strong police presence, speed cameras, heavy fines, loss of license and jail time penalties for excessive speeding, you will continue to see what transpired, i.e. countless deaths on Thai roads.

 

If anyone is to blame, it is the entire police force, I NEVER see them on the roads, only during school times to assist the kids crossing the roads at pedestrian/zebra crossings where drivers/riders always fail to stop, not only that, I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing.

 

RIP to those who perished in this awful tragic accident, and if you wonder why I do the hour round trip to drop off our kids to school and then again for an hour to pick them up as opposed to putting them in a death trap which I see many of speeding and overtaking with scores of kids in them oblivious to what could happen, it's because I value our kids lives. 

[ezzra]

It has been what? good 3 days+ and the public still in the dark as to what really happened there,

someone doesn't want the people to know the truth, it can be the owners of the bus, police, local municipalities and the list is long...

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“I was asleep and then woke up because I heard someone scream.”

“The van was already upside down...

The van turned upside down and that didn't wake him?

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

one should surely confirm that this was fitted according to rigorous safety standards,

Should, yes. But you forget where you are.

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

If anyone is to blame, it is the entire police force, I NEVER see them on the roads, only during school times to assist the kids crossing the roads at pedestrian/zebra crossings where drivers/riders always fail to stop, not only that, I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing.

This sums it all up. Thai's simply don't have it in their character to enforce or follow laws. I have literally zero confidence this will even get 1% better in my lifetime. Best thing to do is move to area with few Thai drivers and avoid driving with Thai's you don't trust.

[Aussieroaming]

Lucky man, RIP to the other unfortunate people.

[whereyougo]

The screaming will haunt this man for a lifetime

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

If anyone is to blame, it is the entire police force

They are simply a symptom/manifestation of the fundamental problem. The main blame lies with the drivers themselves who take no personal responsibility for theirs,their families or other road users lives. I do not need a police presence to drive sensibly and safely- if only through an act of self preservation- . The government themselves too who don’t really care what Thai drivers inflict on themselves. It’s an effective tacit agreement between the public and government - they don’t care about themselves and government isn’t going to enforce rules to make them. A Faustian pact. 

[Chongalulu]

27 minutes ago, whereyougo said:

The screaming will haunt this man for a lifetime

More likely to double down on his lotto tickets…

[Mad mick]

Horrific accident ! RIP to all who perished & my condolences to there family !! Absolutely horrific accident ! Young bloke won the  lottery  ????????????

Edited January 24, 2023 by Mad mick

[superal]

3 hours ago, kwilco said:

It seems to be the van needs to be looked at.

Buses and public transport account for about 1% of road deaths.

 

Of curse when they happen they are multiple and grab the attention of the media. However th toyota Commuter vans are made in Thailand and account for over 90% of te market - this means they are by far the most common vehicles in accidents.

This van or similar models are also available in Japan and Philippines. They aren't sold in Europe as they don't comply to EU regs.

This doesn't mean the van itself is inherently unsafe, 

However not for the first time, I believe the occupants were killed in the subsequent fire - this poses the question of what were the "3 explosions" described by the sole survivor. Te LNP system I would imagine is fitted post production and again one should surely confirm that this was fitted according to rigorous safety standards,

Human error my have been the initial factor in the accident but it seems quite possible that what could have been just injuries was turned fatal by the behaviour of the vehicle and the road environment in the crash.

 

For comparison, a double decker overturned in the UK last week with 71 people on board - no explosion, no fire and no deaths.

Most commercial vehicles in the UK use diesel which will not ignite , say from a spark , unlike petrol which will ignite easily .  I am guessing that the tragic Thai minivan had  petrol fuel . 

[flyingfox1]

was the van Normal fuel as in petrol/ derv or LPG ? conflicting stories. 

 

quick reaction by the 20yr old that saved him , perhaps others were momentarily stunned and in shock and that split second that cost them their lives in a horrific way - RIP 

 

sadly there will be others until something changes, I could write a list but we all know already. 

 

 

[Joebuzzz]

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I'm not a gambling man, but I would go ALL in that it was human error, why, because without a strong police presence, speed cameras, heavy fines, loss of license and jail time penalties for excessive speeding, you will continue to see what transpired, i.e. countless deaths on Thai roads.

 

If anyone is to blame, it is the entire police force, I NEVER see them on the roads, only during school times to assist the kids crossing the roads at pedestrian/zebra crossings where drivers/riders always fail to stop, not only that, I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing.

 

RIP to those who perished in this awful tragic accident, and if you wonder why I do the hour round trip to drop off our kids to school and then again for an hour to pick them up as opposed to putting them in a death trap which I see many of speeding and overtaking with scores of kids in them oblivious to what could happen, it's because I value our kids lives. 

A bit one sided, don't you think?  You're implying that a cop should've seen this and stopped them.  How often do you read a tragic news article stating "Cop stops speeding van and writes a ticket just before it crashes and explodes killing all but one".  In the USA we have a saying "I carry a gun, because a cops too heavy".  They can't be everywhere all at once.  Fiction.

[TKDfella]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The van turned upside down and that didn't wake him?

Unless the student spoke in English it might just be an error in translation. I would have thought the jolt probably did wake him but by the time he was fully aware the van was then upside down.

[Purdey]

Why didn't he try to drag others out? 

[sambum]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I'm not a gambling man, but I would go ALL in that it was human error, why, because without a strong police presence, speed cameras, heavy fines, loss of license and jail time penalties for excessive speeding, you will continue to see what transpired, i.e. countless deaths on Thai roads.

 

If anyone is to blame, it is the entire police force, I NEVER see them on the roads, only during school times to assist the kids crossing the roads at pedestrian/zebra crossings where drivers/riders always fail to stop, not only that, I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing.

 

RIP to those who perished in this awful tragic accident, and if you wonder why I do the hour round trip to drop off our kids to school and then again for an hour to pick them up as opposed to putting them in a death trap which I see many of speeding and overtaking with scores of kids in them oblivious to what could happen, it's because I value our kids lives. 

"I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing."

 

Correct, they don't get paid enough to actually do the job properly, so unless there's more than a few baht to be made from the situation, they will merely "maintain a presence".

 

I remember seeing a video on here (ThaiVisa) a couple of years ago when an elderly farang motorist/cyclist had got into an altercation with a much younger Thai man, and while a policeman was taking their statements, the younger guy blatantly knocked the old guy to the ground with a cowardly "side swipe" and the copper did absolutely nothing - just carried on writing in his notebook as if nothing had happened. I remember feeling shocked at this lack of action from the BIB, but I hadn't lived in Thailand for long at that time!

Edited January 24, 2023 by sambum

[sambum]

7 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Why didn't he try to drag others out? 

From a blazing inferno and explosions taking place when he was disorientated and probably injured/shocked himself?

Not everyone is "Superman"!

[Purdey]

Just now, sambum said:

From a blazing inferno and explosions taking place when he was disorientated and probably injured/shocked himself?

Not everyone is "Superman"!

But he said the explosions happened after he got out. So no attempt to help at all? Oh well. 

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, nchuckle said:

I do not need a police presence to drive sensibly and safely

I would think that is because where you come from, you were taught that if you broke the rules whilst driving and you got caught, you pay heavily for it, suffice to say, fear does have it's advantages.

 

I come from Sydney, the cops there are relentless, and unforgiving, not happy with the fine, take it to court, you have 21 days to do so, go to court, it will cost you a days wages which is about what the fine could be at the lowest end, no guarantee you'll get in to court on that day, so you might have to go another day, loss of time and wages from work makes it not worth fighting, because unless you can prove to the judge without a doubt that you didn't break the rules, you won't only be up for the fine, you will also be up for the court costs which would be about the same as the fine.

 

Been fined a couple of times, amber light, cop says it was red, so I paid it, not worth the extra cost and loss of income, here, you go through a red light, slip the cop 200 baht and he will waive you on, try that in Sydney and you will end up in the slammer.

 

In 2022 there were 1,160 road deaths in Australia with a population of just under 26 million people vs 14,737 road deaths in Thailand with a population of just under 72 million people.

 

 Like I said, I blame it on the police force for not doing their job, and of course as you mentioned, the government also has to be blamed for it's failure to be able to control it's lazy police force.

[4MyEgo]

49 minutes ago, Joebuzzz said:

They can't be everywhere all at once. 

If you didn't get what I was saying, read the reply above this post, maybe, just maybe you will get it, if you don't, can't help you.

[Joebuzzz]

Just now, 4MyEgo said:

If you didn't get what I was saying, read the reply above this post, maybe, just maybe you will get it, if you don't, can't help you.

Ah, you think I need help?  ROTFLMFAO!

[4MyEgo]

27 minutes ago, sambum said:

"I see many people breaking road rules in front of them and they do nothing, absolutely nothing."

 

Correct, they don't get paid enough to actually do the job properly, so unless there's more than a few baht to be made from the situation, they will merely "maintain a presence".

 

I remember seeing a video on here (ThaiVisa) a couple of years ago when an elderly farang motorist/cyclist had got into an altercation with a much younger Thai man, and while a policeman was taking their statements, the younger guy blatantly knocked the old guy to the ground with a cowardly "side swipe" and the copper did absolutely nothing - just carried on writing in his notebook as if nothing had happened. I remember feeling shocked at this lack of action from the BIB, but I hadn't lived in Thailand for long at that time!

So why even become a cop ?

 

Is it to stand there and do nothing.

 

Your post is weak in my opinion (respectfully).

 

Do you know much about the police force here and where they make their money, if you don't, I won't try to explain it to you, but might have something to do with drugs and Karaoke bars and collecting tea money from other establishments to turn a blind eye.

 

Because they don't make enough money, lol, they have to pay big money to get into the force because they know their is a slice of a bigger pie, while people are being killed because there is almost no police presence out there.

 

No fear of cops being on the road, put the peddle to the medal as the saying goes.

[4MyEgo]

1 minute ago, Joebuzzz said:

Ah, you think I need help?  ROTFLMFAO!

What can I say, I'm glad you got a laugh out of it.

[LetsGoJoe]

As an avid motorcyclist for decades here I have come to refer the Toyota Commuter vans as 'Death on Wheels'.

A relatively new scourge on the hwys are the hopped-up Iszuz pickup trucks that transport farm produce - very aggressive drivers.

[swm59nj]

Must have been a very deep sleep.  For a van to have went out of control, to flip over, and not awaken. 
I wonder why the other passengers couldn’t be helped or got out on their own.  If a window was kicked out. The flames must have been very fast moving.  Or the passengers were so badly injured they couldn’t manage to get out on their own. 
A terrible tragedy