School Bus Fire Claims Multiple Lives and Injures Young Students in Rangsit

[animalmagic]

9 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Those that survived shouldn't have to go through this:

 

https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1841037849149489177

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit visit students who survived the deadly bus fire, which killed more than twenty people on Tuesday afternoon at a temporary shelter. #Thailand #ไฟไหม้รถบัส

 

The kids should be in hospital being checked for smoke inhalation problems.  For the smiling gibbon in the black suit, show some concern!

[animalmagic]

7 minutes ago, riclag said:

That and safety devices , like multiple 

Fire Extinguishers 

I have no knowledge of the case, but I would suggest checking the emergency doors for ease of use or being locked.

[JeffersLos]

A properly maintained and operated Mercedes Benz bus doesn't become an inferno when it hits the center barrier. Period. 

[anchadian]

 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrived at patRangsit Hospital, where some of the students and teachers from the bus that caught fire in Pathum Thani are being treated. Of the three students being treated, two female students, one aged 6-7 and the other aged 8-9, are severely injured and require ventilators. Some of the remaining students and teachers who were rescued are now being transferred back to Uthai Thani to reunite with their loved ones.

 

https://x.com/ThaiEnquirer/status/1841056671680119146

 

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

 

I think they know very well how to make this kind of vehicle, it's not the manufacturer.

 

 

Sorry utter tripe - - THese are locally made vehicles that use second hand chassis possibly of a Merc.  THe construction doesn't follow any serious international standards of safety. THey had been outcry about this before when multiple deaths have occured in bus crashes but little is ever done.

Sticking a Merc badge on the front it no more effective than a buddhist medallion.

The ineffective enforcement of partial safety laws has created a situation where coachbuilders can continue producing unsafe vehicles in Thailand, especially by using second-hand chassis and subpar construction techniques. This has resulted in numerous accidents and fatalities, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms, stricter regulations, and more effective oversight.

 

[kwilco]

12 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

A properly maintained and operated Mercedes Benz bus doesn't become an inferno when it hits the center barrier. Period. 

no a "benz" bus - it'll be a second-hand chassis with Thai body work of debatable fire qualities.

[josephbloggs]

17 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

This is genuinely sickening if it is true. How absolutely shameful.

I have to say I can't believe that picture is true. It must be from an old photo op, surely? The faces on those officials is just wrong. And the kids should be with their parents, and they don't have a speck of dust on them and they have chocolate milk etc.  I know Andrew McGregor Marshall posted it and I respect him but it all seems too much.

If it is real it is truly disgusting, absolutely appalling and disgraceful.

[Hamus Yaigh]

15 minutes ago, animalmagic said:

For the smiling gibbon in the black suit, show some concern!

That's the Thai Transport Minister. 🤔

[kwilco]

24 minutes ago, riclag said:

That and safety devices , like multiple 

Fire Extinguishers 

Yes - but the performance and safety of these vehicles including fire extinguishers are part and parcel of the design process - it looks as if highly flammable materials were used and it is unlikely they could have been extinguished anyway.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's the tyres again, shouldn't get a blow out

 

Your theory being????

[BadSpottedDog]

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

UPDATE
School  Janitor Recounts Tragic Moments of School Bus Fire

 

 

A janitor from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkaram School in Uthai Thani, who was on the third bus, shared the harrowing details of the accident involving the second bus, where a yire blowout led to a collision and deadly fire. The driver of the bus remains missing as rescue efforts continue.

According to Preecha Muangchan, a 50-year-old school janitor, three buses were part of the trip, and he was riding on the third bus. He described seeing the second bus suffer a left-front tyre blowout, causing it to lose control and sideswipe a black Mercedes-Benz E200 before crashing into a road barrier. The driver quickly stopped and attempted to check the situation, but the fire erupted rapidly.

The bus involved in the accident had 44 passengers, including students ranging from kindergarten to ninth grade. Initial reports indicate that 19 people—three teachers and 16 students—managed to escape the burning bus. Six of those rescued sustained injuries and were transported to a hospital, while others remain missing. The bus driver has yet to be found.

 

Military personnel have also been deployed to manage traffic, and camouflage nets have been placed around the bus to shield the scene from public view as forensic officers are on the bus conducting investigations and gathering evidence to determine the cause of the incident.

At the Royal Thai Police headquarters, Pol. Lt. Gen. Prachuap Wongsuk, Assistant Commissioner-General and Acting Deputy Commissioner-General, provided updates on the tragic bus fire that claimed numerous lives.

 

Pol. Lt. Gen. Prachuap stated that police are reviewing CCTV footage along the route taken by the three-bus convoy to identify whether the bus in question was involved in a collision or other incident prior to the fire. Given the gas leak on the bus, further investigation with the Department of Land Transport is underway to confirm if the gas system was installed or modified after purchase and whether it met safety standards. The bus operator will also be held accountable once identified, though no conclusions have been reached as of yet.

 

The forensic medical team from the Police General Hospital will collaborate with the forensic unit at Thammasat University Hospital, located near the accident site, to assist with victim identification.

 

Pol. Lt. Gen. Prachuap urged bus operators to ensure their vehicles meet the necessary safety standards before offering services to the public to prevent further tragedies in the future.
 

-- 2024-10-01

 

The bus driver ran!?? What a cowardly thing to do! This is so tragic and could have been avoided. RIP little ones.

[Ctkong]

What is cause of the fire after the bus broke down? LPG cylinder the culprit ? Or others such electrical fire that result from the bus veering off the road. 
moreover, how come even though the bus is upright, door locked maybe due to electrical fire, the teachers or adults did not break open the windows or safety roof door ? Aren’t there somebody in the adult capacity able to ensure the safety of children as in this case by checking fire escape safety in case of fire? 
Stupidity and ignorance can result in untimely deaths .

[scubascuba3]

3 minutes ago, kwilco said:

 

Your theory being????

the tyre blew, probably way past their useful life

[Russell17au]

20 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Maybe yes, maybe no. Mercedes, Volvo etc sell naked bus chassis and then you build what you like on top. I think this is what most os these busses are in Thailand, the original Mercedes platform with poorly constructed bodies with little to no safety standards or safe materials. It is a tragedy. The horror these kids went through in their last moments in unthinkable.

Just because it doesn't "look" like a Mercedes it doesn't mean it isn't underneath. And then of course you have the shoddy CNG / LPG conversions.

https://www.mercedes-benz-bus.com/en_ID/models/of.html

 

RIP kids, you poor poor souls.

It is not only in Thailand but these naked bus chassis are sent to all the bus body building companies around the world and the bodies are all locally built in those countries. These bus chassis have an electrical control panel located in a box located alongside the drivers section that is accessed from the outside of the bus. As for the doors not opening could by because they are electrically operated and as the bus hit the barrier with the right side then that would cause a problem with the electrics and as the fire did not erupt immediately I would say then an electrically fault caused the fire to start. As for the tyre blowout, well that can happen to anyone at anytime. I bought brand new tyres for my pick up truck and I had them on the truck for about 2 months and I was driving home and I got a tread lift and blowout on one of my rear tyres. The interior of most of this type of bus is flammable material such as rubber for the seats and flammable cloth and timber or fibreglass for the interior linings. 

RIP those children and their teachers and condolences to their families

[riclag]

My granddaughter just went on a similar trip with her school!

 

My wife just brought this up, scary!

 

 

[smew]

Terrible accident, no safety standards here and no maintenance. Must have had a small fuel leak and no fire retardant material interior.  

[itsari]

1 hour ago, Lorry said:

This is worldwide front-page news.

The PM has given a statement. 

Shouldn't AN move it from local Bangkok News to Thailand News?

 

What ever the news location it is a terrible incident 

I just hope that the news on the doors not opening are incorrect.

If correct somebody has a lot to answer for .

My deepest sympathy to these unfortunate children's parents.

[Chongalulu]

2 hours ago, kwilco said:

Probably need to look at the construction of these buses.

It looks like a perfectly good modern Mercedes bus that has been turned into a death trap by a shoddy after market gas conversion to save a few pennies. Just use the diesel it was designed for and no fire ! 

[kwilco]

6 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

It looks like a perfectly good modern Mercedes bus that has been turned into a death trap by a shoddy after market gas conversion to save a few pennies. Just use the diesel it was designed for and no fire ! 

Well it isn't - the bodies are usually coach built in Thailand - they are not properly tested (paper bag testing) - the interiors may well be specially built or modified using non fire retardant materials and of course ta gas conversion that is near a Heath Robinson affair.

[RichardColeman]

I'll pass judgement on this when the correct people have been jailed indefinitely for manslaughter  - whether that be the driver, the maintenance crew, the management or whoever. Expect some people to leave the country before the nights out

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

It's the tyres again, shouldn't get a blow out

A blow out can happen- what should certainly not happen is for it to result in a bus turning into a ball of fire . Bet it wasn’t diesel as it was designed for.

[Gottfrid]

1 minute ago, ujayujay said:

As usual st@pid chatter from you

You think? Google bus fires and you will get the facts.

[Gottfrid]

2 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

A blow out can happen- what should certainly not happen is for it to result in a bus turning into a ball of fire . Bet it wasn’t diesel as it was designed for.

Exactly 100%! But @ujayujay does not understand such things. They do what they want here, and just because of a blow out and the bus stays on the road, that should not cause an explosion as you post. What the reason is, can be like you post, but can also be bad maintenance or crappy build.

[Ctkong]

“It is not only in Thailand but these naked bus chassis are sent to all the bus body building companies around the world and the bodies are all locally built in those countries. These bus chassis have an electrical control panel located in a box located alongside the drivers section that is accessed from the outside of the bus.”

that is quite correct. Many countries just imported the chassis with engine but without hub and body. This is cost cutting as well as custom fabrication according to various countries’ regulations. I was appalled by the interior material construction of the buses in Thailand and Malaysia which I am familiar with. Thin side walls made of inflammable material and carpeting.seats too. It is a firetrap in the making. Ever notice how the bus carriage sheared off completely from the chassis upon a rollover in an accident ? 
there is no safety cage concept in bus construction in countries like these. 
safety belt is all they can offer and even that, sometimes you find them not in working condition. 

[Rolo89]

Horrific story, but unfortunately not that surprising.

 

The buses often have a cloud of black smoke that would rival a coal power station. Somethings not right with them to be outputting that much black smoke and decent safety standards would save lives in tragedies like this and the deaths caused by the air pollution. 

[edwinchester]

1 hour ago, anchadian said:

Those that survived shouldn't have to go through this:

 

https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1841037849149489177

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit visit students who survived the deadly bus fire, which killed more than twenty people on Tuesday afternoon at a temporary shelter. #Thailand #ไฟไหม้รถบัส

 

The grinning <deleted> in the middle should be ashamed of himself as should all the other photo opportunists.

[anchadian]

(1/3) BREAKING: Just before the fatal bus carrying 44 students and teachers caught fire in Pathum Thani, it had sideswiped a black Mercedes-Benz that was traveling from Rangsit to Bangkok in the far right lane, shortly after noon on Tues.

 

(2/3) The insurance agent for the Mercedes revealed that the bus was moving from the middle lane and veered into their lane. It's believed this happened at the moment when one of the bus's tires exploded.

 

This caused the Mercedes to hit the center barrier and scrape along it for abt 100 meters. The Mercedes driver quickly braked. The driver quickly exited the vehicle. Meanwhile, the bus continued for about 400-500 meters before catching fire.

 

https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1841070198130163982

 

[couchpotato]

4 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

A blow out can happen- what should certainly not happen is for it to result in a bus turning into a ball of fire . Bet it wasn’t diesel as it was designed for.

One pic I saw was tanks of LPG (or other gas)..so no wonder it burn't so badly. Criminal and such a senseless waste of little lives. tears this afternoon.

[couchpotato]

2 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

The grinning <deleted> in the middle should be ashamed of himself as should all the other photo opportunists.

Agree...same as the floods last week..photo ops for politicians...sad the people are treated like this.

[eastlight]

2 hours ago, ronster said:

Seems to have been engulfed in flames very quickly. Surely a mercedes bus would be designed with fire retardant seats , the video of this looks like the whole thing was quickly ablaze.

Never seen a country with so many bus accidents every month . I refuse to let my wife travel on them .

 

They have a Mercedes badge but that's where it ends. Just another unmaintained death trap bus.