Bangkok, Oct 2 (EFE).- The driver of a school bus that caught fire on the outskirts of Bangkok has been charged as forensics teams continued work Wednesday to identify the 20 children and three teachers killed in the blaze.
The 48-year-old driver initially tried to put the blaze out before fleeing the scene, but turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night and remains in custody.
Four charges have been filed against him, including reckless driving resulting in death or injury, fleeing the scene of an accident, failing to provide assistance, and failing to report the incident, according to the Thai Public Broadcasting Service on Wednesday.
The accident, which involved 38 schoolchildren and six teachers on a field trip, took place shortly after midday on Tuesday on the Vibhavadi Rangsit highway, which runs through Bangkok.
During police questioning, the driver said he was traveling at a speed of 70-80 kilometres per hour when he said it felt like the bus hit a pothole, like a tire had burst, causing it to hit another car, then a steel barrier, creating sparks that ignited the fire.
He tried to call for help and grabbed a fire extinguisher from another bus following behind in a three-vehicle convoy, but was overwhelmed by the accident and left the scene, he told authorities cited by Thai PBS.
The driver fled to a relative’s house in Ang Thong province, about 100 kilometres northwest of Bangkok, where he turned himself in on Tuesday night at a police station
Police said Tuesday that the investigation is still open and that they can hold the suspect for 48 hours before bringing him before a court, Thai PBS said.
Among the questions that remain are how 19 passengers managed to escape and others did not, whether a door may have been blocked, and whether a fuel system conversion from diesel to natural gas had any influence, said acting police commissioner Kitrat Phanphet during a press conference on Tuesday.
Among the survivors are 16 schoolchildren and three teachers, some of whom are being treated for serious burns in hospitals in the capital.
Relatives of the victims traveled to Bangkok on Tuesday and Wednesday to provide DNA samples to forensics teams.
Seventeen victims have been identified, allowing the bodies to be transferred to their families, news outlet Thai Enquirer reported. The other six identifications are due to be completed Wednesday.
The vehicle had left the Wat Khao Phraya school (in Uthai Thani province) earlier that day for a trip to the outskirts of Bangkok, more than 200 kilometers away.
According to official documents, the school takes in children from nursery school to 15 years old, although the ages and identities of the passengers have not yet been revealed. EFE
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