Two Die As Errant Bang Fai Rocket Engulfs Car In Ball Of Flames: Nong Khai

[webfact]

Two die as errant festival rocket engulfs car in ball of flames
The Nation



NONG KHAI: -- Two people were killed yesterday after a "Bang Fai" rocket failed to properly take off, dropping instead onto a car in the Wat That community of Nong Khai's Mueang district, police said.

Sangium Sonthirat, 41, died in the car, which was immediately engulfed in flames, while Anuwat Pinthuwong, 47 - the car owner - died on his way to hospital. The two were friends.

Police said the firework, which was detonated by an electrical current, was found to have been mistakenly launched without its guidance system after the person responsible for launching the rocket forgot to include it in the rocket's launch set up.

As a result, the rocket went off in the wrong direction and hit Anuwat's car. At the time of the accident, he was trying to find a parking space so that he could attend the traditional Bang Fai rocket event.

On contact with the car, the rocket exploded, engulfing the car in flames in a matter of seconds. Onlookers rushed to help pull Anuwat from the blaze, but not before he suffered first degree burns. He died before reaching the hospital.

The Wat That community annually holds their Bang Fai merit making ceremony with a rocket and firework competition from May 25-29 - during which 250 rockets are launched into the sky.

After the accident, the event was cancelled. Police are now investigating the accident to find out who is responsible.

An official said people who joined the rocket competition were required to pay Bt1,000 for insurance in case of accidents. Organisers of the event were expected to collect a total of Bt250,000 in insurance payments.


-- The Nation 2013-05-27

[A Member]

Unfortunately not the first time this sort of thing has happened and definitely not the last. I remember last year seeing video footage of a festival where a couple of drunks were trying to fire a rocket but due to their condition got it all wrong and the rocket went horizontal into a crowd of onlookers.

This is a " cultural " event so too much regulation will be resisted.

[DiNiro]

oooops

[jackr]

After the accident, the event was cancelled. Police are now investigating the accident to find out who is responsible

I've a pretty good idea who was responsible.

Police said the firework, which was detonated by an electrical current, was found to have been mistakenly launched without its guidance system after the person responsible for launching the rocket forgot to include it in the rocket's launch set up

[OzMick]

B250,000 in insurance payments - I guess now to be paid to the families of the deceased. What happens if there are no "accidents"?

[anon210]

One more occasion of "merit-making" gone wrong...

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[soi41]

Give the poor "engineers" a break. They are just training for Thailand going nuclear!!

[DocN]

RIP

2 more victims in the Hub of idiocy!

[Donnie Brasco]

Thai Space Program in Peril

[VocalNeal]

I love the hub of idiocy. Not the only reason i moved to Asia but this place would be numbingly boring if it was as heavily regulated as the west has become.

Going to a rocket festival. Park at least rocket flight distance away and walk to the event?

[VocalNeal]

RIP

2 more victims in the Hub of idiocy!

I like this hub of idiocy.

Not the reason I moved to Asia but one of the reasons I am still here is that it is not as heavily regulated as the west.

[GentlemanJim]

I love the hub of idiocy. Not the only reason i moved to Asia but this place would be numbingly boring if it was as heavily regulated as the west has become.

Going to a rocket festival. Park at least rocket flight distance away and walk to the event?

I hope the incineration of two people in their car alleviated your boredom then.

[humblefalang]

RIP

2 more victims in the Hub of idiocy!

come on.

it's what they do,

there is regulation for these festivals,

don't even mention health and safety,

thats why i stay well clear of

[OzMick]

I have a feeling that the fool who forgot to fit the fins was as full as a fat girl's sock.

[Halion]

Such waffel, "FORGOT TO ATTACH THE GUIDANCE SYSTEM". These rockets do not have a "guidance system". They have fin stabalizers to secure vertical flight . Nothing more

[fakename]

At least its not boring. I commend people for giving up their lives, so we are not bored. Not sure their families are as happy as we are, but they will get over it.

I hope that when a rocket comes down on your car, you will have the same attitude, and will say, "at least its not boring here"!

[GentlemanJim]

Glad to see from the photo that at an event with tons of high explosives there was an emergency fire team and fire truck present.

[Westaurel]

It so awful that happened RIP to the poor victims, some bangfai are dangerous, last year one exploded after been launched and did happily no victims.

I will go to launch my rocket this wednesday, hope the event will continue with no more accidents.

More pictures: http://www.krobkruakao.com/%E0%B8%82%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7/73773/%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2-%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%B1%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%9F%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87--%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%9A-2-%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%9E.html

Edited May 27, 2013 by Westaurel

[bkkgriz]

Deaths at this event seem to be an annual occurence. It's not surprising when you have amateurs making rockets that have one or even two tons of potassium nitrate as fuel. Another nice festival run amok. Songkran is being ruined. Once a fun festival that has turned into an arms race to see who can make the most powerful gun and now Bang Fai rockets that rival early NASA rockets.

[orosee]

"First degree burns"? Nobody dies from that. Maybe The Nation thought that first degree is of a higher class than third?

[GentlemanJim]

"First degree burns"? Nobody dies from that. Maybe The Nation thought that first degree is of a higher class than third?

I think from the end result and what you understand, you know what they meant.

[bdenner]

Police said the firework, which was detonated by an electrical current,

was found to have been mistakenly launched without its guidance system

after the person responsible for launching the rocket forgot to include

it in the rocket's launch set up.

A more realistic explanation.

The guidance system is a set greased rings on a vertical wooden structure which the bamboo pole (stabilizer) slides through. Launch protocol calls for the rocket to be secured into position before the detonator is placed after which the operator hands the wires from the detonator to the firing man.

Obviously in this case some dimwit inserted a detonator into an unsecured rocket and the firing man didn't check to see if everything was safe before setting it off.

[DocN]

RIP

2 more victims in the Hub of idiocy!

I like this hub of idiocy.

Not the reason I moved to Asia but one of the reasons I am still here is that it is not as heavily regulated as the west.

...and I guess, your intelligence does not allow you to imagine, that next time, the "freedom" of Thailand might put you , your family or your friends in mortal danger?

Wow, man!

Seriously: wow!

[cup-O-coffee]

Does this really come as a shock or surprise to anyone reading this?

[kartman]

Such waffel, "FORGOT TO ATTACH THE GUIDANCE SYSTEM". These rockets do not have a "guidance system". They have fin stabalizers to secure vertical flight . Nothing more

So it wasn't Cape Canaveral it was Cape Carnival.

[MaxYakov]

I love the hub of idiocy. Not the only reason i moved to Asia but this place would be numbingly boring if it was as heavily regulated as the west has become.

Going to a rocket festival. Park at least rocket flight distance away and walk to the event?

Hah! Good luck with that. I'm recommending at least an Armored Personnel Carrier (which one could park just about anywhere one wanted).

R.I.P the launch mishap victims

Edited May 27, 2013 by MaxYakov

[lee b]

Great may 25-29th and i have to go through their in a day or so !

[KED]

I love the hub of idiocy. Not the only reason i moved to Asia but this place would be numbingly boring if it was as heavily regulated as the west has become.

Going to a rocket festival. Park at least rocket flight distance away and walk to the event?

I'm no fan of over-regulation - but try explaining to the two families of these men how limiting regulation for explosives keeps Thailand from being boring.

[HarryMilton]

B250,000 in insurance payments - I guess now to be paid to the families of the deceased. What happens if there are no "accidents"?

The same thing that happens if you don't have a claim on your car insurance, for example...the insurance company keeps the premiums, of course. That's the downside of insurance.

[HarryMilton]

"First degree burns"? Nobody dies from that. Maybe The Nation thought that first degree is of a higher class than third?

The report didn't actually say he died from first-degree burns, it says he suffered them and died later in hospital. Perhaps he died from smoke inhalation?