Ten Dead, 118 Injured, 200 Families Suffer After Fireworks Warehouse in Narathiwat Exploded

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, NemoH said:

There are no safety standards in Thailand

There are. But the chance of them being enforced is about the same as the Thai electorate getting the government they voted for.

[ChipButty]

Im sure there must be a list of building regulations regarding storing high explosives there would be in a normal country, was it last week one place in Chiang Mai went up? 

[Lazybones]

How come it's allowed to be built without authorisation first? 

[LikeItHot]

There is one of these fireworks operations not far from my house right on the main road. It is flanked by an elementary school a soccer field a boat building/repairs shop and a 7-11.  What could happen.

[sambum]

What about welding in a fireworks factory? 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by sambum

[sambum]

41 minutes ago, Lazybones said:

How come it's allowed to be built without authorisation first? 

Because TIT! 

 

Seriously, the warehouse was possibly built before it was a fireworks factory, and merely "converted".

 

There does seem to be a lack of planning permission here, though. A mate of mine bought a plot of land in a prime location with a lovely view, peaceful and quiet, but within easy reach of "town", and a couple of months after he moved in, they built a Shooting Range next door!

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

The governor said there are no other firework warehouses in the district of which officials are aware and the one where the accident occurred had not yet been authorized for use as a warehouse as it was newly built.

Town planning at it's finest.

[Trevor Collins]

So the idea that you move combustible and flammable material away from

a welding operation (or put a tarp over it) has never occurred to a Thai worker?

Edited July 31, 2023 by Trevor Collins
spacing

[madmitch]

6 hours ago, Sig said:

Will insurance pay out for a company that (apparently) allowed welding to be done by stored explosives!??? That wouldn't be the brightest business model.

They would probably pay and subrogate against the welding company. However would any sane underwriter take on the risk of a Thai fireworks factory? For that reason alone, I doubt they have insurance.

[Hamus Yaigh]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:18 PM, Tropicalevo said:

Maybe the warehouse was there first and the houses came afterwards? (Because of the jobs.)

Is doesn't matter what order the buildings came, there are normally stringent building codes, safety distances and permits needed associated with explosives storage which for this incident were obviously ignored by all.

[off road pat]

On 7/29/2023 at 6:18 PM, Tropicalevo said:

Maybe the warehouse was there first and the houses came afterwards? (Because of the jobs.)

We have no way of knowing. ????

..."The governor said there are no other firework warehouses in the district of which officials are aware and the one where the accident occurred had not yet been authorized for use as a warehouse as it was newly built."..

[Chongalulu]

10 hours ago, steven100 said:

smoking in the factory is not allowed

I think it was a stray Russian. They have got form...

[joecoolfrog]

10 hours ago, hotchilli said:

What came first..
The residents or the bomb factory?

The residents !

Article states that the warehouse was only recently built.

[Chongalulu]

And in other parts of the world (Pakistan notably) they do it DELIBERATELY! (and to more deadly effect ????)

[Airwolf]

18 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

The residents !

Article states that the warehouse was only recently built.

That's crazy, even for Thailand. I wonder if the residents knew they were living right next door to explosives! 


 

[geisha]

Reminds me of a newish condo I rented in Jomtien. The safety doors were locked! When I complained , the office girl actually shouted at me ! 

[billd766]

On 7/30/2023 at 3:19 AM, bendejo said:

I can't help but suspecting this may have something to do with events of years past (like Tak Bai) and the possibility that the former PM behind it will be returning to LOS.

 

 

How did you reach that conclusion?

[billd766]

According to the Bangkok Post (no quote), the owners originally opened the building as a shop selling farm equipment and kitchenware.

The shop was later converted into a warehouse, which it never was designed as in the beginning.

 

Whether the owners ever got permission is another question.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 hours ago, ChipButty said:

hope the owners of the bomb factory were well insured 

From one of the subsequent news reports posted above:

 

"the one where the accident occurred had not yet been authorized for use as a warehouse as it was newly built."

 

No valid government license/permit for the actual use involved. Probably no valid insurance coverage as well.

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[bendejo]

9 hours ago, billd766 said:

How did you reach that conclusion?

No conclusion, just a suspicion.  And I'm holding on to it, no elaboration. 

A while back I was on my way to Malaysia after spending a night in Hat Yai.  I later learned that a bomb went off near where I had been staying shortly after I left the hotel.  Which of course has nothing to do with anything, but it did feel close to home. 

On the other hand I was once talking with a Chinese Thai who told me he used to have a fireworks factory in Bkk's Chinatown, he told me he got out of the business because of the ever-growing number of restrictions.  This incident could have been just another of those disasters waiting to happen, like that blast in Lebanon a few years back.

 

[BarraMarra]

No blast wall or even mounds of Earth to prevent a shock wave, and never have Residential buildings close to a building where Explosives are stored. Will it stop other Accidents where explosives are stored NO business as usual tomorrow. No doubt someone will take the blame certainly not management.

[ChipButty]

nothing about the owners yet? have they done one?

[billd766]

6 hours ago, BarraMarra said:

No blast wall or even mounds of Earth to prevent a shock wave, and never have Residential buildings close to a building where Explosives are stored. Will it stop other Accidents where explosives are stored NO business as usual tomorrow. No doubt someone will take the blame certainly not management.

It was never built as a godown in the first place but as a shop selling farming and kitchen equipment. It was converted into a warehouse later.

 

I would assume planning permission was either not applied for or the paperwork was fudged.

 

I don't think planning permission would have been granted (perhaps fudged though) to store fireworks and/or explosives.

[ChipButty]

8 minutes ago, billd766 said:

It was never built as a godown in the first place but as a shop selling farming and kitchen equipment. It was converted into a warehouse later.

 

I would assume planning permission was either not applied for or the paperwork was fudged.

 

I don't think planning permission would have been granted (perhaps fudged though) to store fireworks and/or explosives.

And IED's 

[Mr Meeseeks]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

nothing about the owners yet? have they done one?

There's some info about them on the other thread where authorities found another tonne of explosives in another warehouse belonging to the same owner.

 

He has been arrested and being charged.

 

The other point that was raised here and clarified on the other thread is that there was no insurance to cover all the damage, sorry, devastation, caused.