Inferno bus in use for 54 years

[webfact]

 

THE BUS that caught fire on Vibhavadi Rangsit road leading to the tragic death of 23 mainly kindergarten and primary schoolchildren and teachers had been in use for 54 years with the engine switched from Isuzu to Benz at a later date, Amarin TV said this morning (Oct. 2).

 

This bus, the second of a convoy of three, was travelling from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani province on a field trip for mainly around a hundred kindergarten and primary schoolchildren to Ayutthaya Historical Park and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) headquarters in Nonthaburi.

The vehicle had caught fire in front of the National Memorial on Vibhavadi Rangsit road at 12.25 p.m. yesterday with police saying a tyre had exploded triggering the inferno. Firefighters said the sight of children’s bodies piled up at the rear exit door was horrifying.

 

The Land Transport Department revealed that this Isuzu branded bus was registered on February 19, 1970.

 

It was specified as a non-regular passenger vehicle with 41 seats and a total weight of 16,600kg. In 2018, the department was notified that the bus had been modified with a Benz engine installed. Last tax was paid in May this year.

 

by TNR Staff

TOP: Scenes from the bus inferno on Vibhavadi Rangsit road. Photos: Amarin TV

 

Full story: THAI NEWSROOM 

-- 2024-10-02

 

 

[lordgrinz]

A 54 year old vehicle sounds like a safe vehicle for driving children around in, and 41 seats? There were more than 41 people onboard. 

[watchcat]

9 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

There were more than 41 people onboard. 

 

True, but in busses 54 years ago passengers often sat on on floor if no seats were available.

[impulse]

So the driver is basically a scapegoat.

 

[brianthainess]

So now the truth is coming out.

[Celsius]

It was a good value for money 

[MalcolmB]

50 years it had proven itself.

i always like traveling on proven older planes than brand new ones.

 

A tragic unintentional accident always brings out the finger pointers. 

 

 Apparently the older kids and teachers helped the little ones escape first. 
Good kids. Heroes.

[RandolphGB]

This is pure greed from the bus company owner. Most Thai businesses keep all the profit instead of reinvesting in improvements. In this case, pocketing cash instead of paying for basic safety protocols to be followed while running ancient vehicles.

 

Every problem in Thailand always comes down to laziness and greed. 

 

 

[lordgrinz]

4 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

This is pure greed from the bus company owner. Most Thai businesses keep all the profit instead of reinvesting in improvements. In this case, pocketing cash instead of paying for basic safety protocols to be followed while running ancient vehicles.

 

Every problem in Thailand always comes down to laziness and greed. 

 

 

 

.....and total disregard for safety.

[Venom]

What junk yard did they pull the heap of excrement out of? Why is it thay allow the old, outdated,

out of commission and hack modefied public transport vehicles to be recommissioned to transport students to and from school?

 

Seeing young children in school uniform bording the local school transport death trap is a daily occurrence everywhere in Thailand. 

 

The locals seem oblivious to the danger 

 

 

 

[Antti]

The bus certainly doesn’t look that old. There is some mix up with the Buddhist calendar and western calendar I think.

[impulse]

1 minute ago, Antti said:

The bus certainly doesn’t look that old. There is some mix up with the Buddhist calendar and western calendar I think.

 

I've seen some of the shops where they take a 50+ year old chassis and add a plywood shell with tinfoil skin to make it look newer.  I'm appalled at how flimsy the bodies are built.

[Will B Good]

 

 

A tyre exploded causing the fire.....mmmm?

 

Find that very hard to believe.

[Artisi]

Great to see all the transport and fire experts on the case with a full analysis already completed and presented. 

[ikke1959]

That is the problem in Thailand... No investments are made no changes no renewals .... Look how many trucks are driving around more than 75 years old or older.... and that in a era of climate change.. a 54 year old bus will pollute  a lot and besides that they are totally out of date....  I always say that the mai pen rai attitude in Thailand will bring Thailand in big troubles on everything.. Mai pen rai no helmet, mai pen rai, old bus, mai pen rai, flooding, mai pen rai 10k wallet for alcohol sales, mai pen rai no study you will pass anyway, mai pen rai  hitting with sticks or mai pen rai being insulted if you are a pupil in a military school and the list can go on

[ikke1959]

1 hour ago, Antti said:

The bus certainly doesn’t look that old. There is some mix up with the Buddhist calendar and western calendar I think.

Like botox can make people younger and beautiful,,, here a new color and you have a new bus....Looks new outside inside rotten...

[Gottfrid]

So, now maybe this one that some ill informed people quoted on yesterday will be more correct in their eyes.

 

As we can see, it has to do with maintenance. What countries are using 54 year old buses to start with? Third world countries! Checking up things, it looks like the general age for a bus to be used until is about 12-15 years and 250 000 to 300 000 miles. In some places it stands a renovated bus with rebuilt body can last another 20 years, but that´s max. That would be 35 years. Here they are using 54 year old buses to drive our school children. Disgusting, degenerates!

[connda]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The vehicle had caught fire in front of the National Memorial on Vibhavadi Rangsit road at 12.25 p.m. yesterday with police saying a tyre had exploded triggering the inferno.

I've seen bald tires on these kinds of buses before.  It will be interesting to hear what they find in forensics if they ever release that info to the public.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

THE BUS that caught fire on Vibhavadi Rangsit road leading to the tragic death of 23 mainly kindergarten and primary schoolchildren and teachers had been in use for 54 years

Appalling.

[PJPom]

I think the one aspect people are overlooking is the source of the fire, the LNG tanks. If fitted correctly they are only as dangerous as a tank of petrol but if they are installed by unskilled persons their potential for leaking in an accident is probable. I worked with LPG fitted cars and regular tank testing was mandatory, I wonder how long since the tanks were tested.

All the above is just my speculation however I will never have a car fitted with gas here, I like living.

[retarius]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

THE BUS that caught fire on Vibhavadi Rangsit road leading to the tragic death of 23 mainly kindergarten and primary schoolchildren and teachers had been in use for 54 years with the engine switched from Isuzu to Benz at a later date, Amarin TV said this morning (Oct. 2).

 

This bus, the second of a convoy of three, was travelling from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani province on a field trip for mainly around a hundred kindergarten and primary schoolchildren to Ayutthaya Historical Park and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) headquarters in Nonthaburi.

The vehicle had caught fire in front of the National Memorial on Vibhavadi Rangsit road at 12.25 p.m. yesterday with police saying a tyre had exploded triggering the inferno. Firefighters said the sight of children’s bodies piled up at the rear exit door was horrifying.

 

The Land Transport Department revealed that this Isuzu branded bus was registered on February 19, 1970.

 

It was specified as a non-regular passenger vehicle with 41 seats and a total weight of 16,600kg. In 2018, the department was notified that the bus had been modified with a Benz engine installed. Last tax was paid in May this year.

 

by TNR Staff

TOP: Scenes from the bus inferno on Vibhavadi Rangsit road. Photos: Amarin TV

 

Full story: THAI NEWSROOM 

-- 2024-10-02

 

 

I've never heard of an exploding tyre igniting an inferno. I don't believe it. How could a tyre explode and create an inferno so massive and so quickly? There were lots of flames coming out of the place where baggage is usually stored in mid-bus? 

[retarius]

11 minutes ago, PJPom said:

I think the one aspect people are overlooking is the source of the fire, the LNG tanks. If fitted correctly they are only as dangerous as a tank of petrol but if they are installed by unskilled persons their potential for leaking in an accident is probable. I worked with LPG fitted cars and regular tank testing was mandatory, I wonder how long since the tanks were tested.

All the above is just my speculation however I will never have a car fitted with gas here, I like living.

I saw a photo where they appeared to be stored in an odd fashion directly over the engine. The fire was raging but the gas tanks hadn't exploded. There were 4 tanks visible and undamaged with the fire raging in front of them.

[pacovl46]

5 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

A 54 year old vehicle sounds like a safe vehicle for driving children around in, and 41 seats? There were more than 41 people onboard. 

This type of bus usually has benches instead of individual seats and while one bench counts as two seats you can definitely get more than two kids on a bench.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I have yet to see a statement confirming what fuel system was involved. LNG or NGV.

[impulse]

4 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Every problem in Thailand always comes down to laziness and greed. 

 

Unless you count the problems due to low GDP per capita, crap wages, and not enough money to adopt nanny state standards...

 

 

 

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

1 hour ago, PJPom said:

I think the one aspect people are overlooking is the source of the fire, the LNG tanks. If fitted correctly they are only as dangerous as a tank of petrol but if they are installed by unskilled persons their potential for leaking in an accident is probable. I worked with LPG fitted cars and regular tank testing was mandatory, I wonder how long since the tanks were tested.

All the above is just my speculation however I will never have a car fitted with gas here, I like living.

Agree, in South Australia all thanks have to be removed and certified after 10 years. No proper roadworthiness testing here. 

The government should cop at least 50% of blame for allowing these dangerous vehicles to carry passengers.

Everyday you see dangerous vehicles on road, tyres sticking out past body 6 inches or more. Guess that idea is to rip legs off motorcycle riders or people walking.

Brake and indicator lights all colors and flashing erratically.

I have never ever had brakes tested on renewal inspections.

I operated school transport vehicles for 20 years, the inspections were not easy to pass. Fail a small think $200 reinspection fee, so guess what we made sure everything correct first time.

 

 

 

[LukKrueng]

Some inaccuracies in the stories about this accident.

At first they wrote it was a kindergarten, then they mentioned kids aged 7 and 14, now they say it was a primary school which still doesn't sound right for a 14 years old...

Now they're saying the bus was manufactured in 1970. Although I was a young kid back then, I can't remember ever seeing a bus that looks like this 1 back then

[chiang mai]

4 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

Some inaccuracies in the stories about this accident.

At first they wrote it was a kindergarten, then they mentioned kids aged 7 and 14, now they say it was a primary school which still doesn't sound right for a 14 years old...

Now they're saying the bus was manufactured in 1970. Although I was a young kid back then, I can't remember ever seeing a bus that looks like this 1 back then

It may be the chassis and drive train are from 1970 but the body shell has been remanufactured or replaced.

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

Now they're saying the bus was manufactured in 1970. Although I was a young kid back then, I can't remember ever seeing a bus that looks like this 1 back then

 

I have perused factories that rebuild buses from the chassis up in Thailand.  Between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi, if I recall.  They look nothing like the original when they're done.  But I was appalled at the plywood frames and the thin aluminum skins.  They looked like they'd either burst into flames or turn into matchsticks in a collision.  Or both.

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

a non-regular passenger vehicle with 41 seats

 

No doubt many AN bar stool  accident investigators will disagree with me, but as a retired forensic scientist I believe these seats could have contributed to the  rapid and deadly spread of the fire inside the old bus.  Were fire resistant covers and foam used in the construction of the old seats? I bet not. Cheap non fire resistant materials produce deadly toxic fumes/smoke which may have sadly and tragically  killed so many young children and teachers. RIP and sincere condolences to the victims and their families. So very sad on a day that should have been a happy excursion.