SAFETY WOES
Police have arrested the driver of the bus on suspicion of causing death by careless driving in the crash, which happened on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb at lunchtime on Tuesday.
They are also investigating whether the compressed gas tanks fuelling the bus played a role in the blaze, which engulfed the vehicle so quickly that barely half of those on board were able to escape.
It is thought the bus suffered a burst tyre and then crashed into a highway barrier before erupting into flames.
The government has announced urgent checks on more than 13,000 gas-fuelled buses, although some victims’ relatives are demanding a complete prohibition.
“I want gas tanks on all public buses and vans to be banned,” one told public broadcaster ThaiPBS, without giving her name.
Thailand has long had an appalling road safety record, with around 20,000 deaths reported every year – an average of more than 50 a day.
Speeding, drink driving and poor vehicle standards all contribute to the bloody toll, but weak enforcement of rules, exacerbated by rampant corruption in the police, also undermines efforts to improve safety.
