A rural Thai community arranges a collective funeral pyre for the 23 lives lost in a fiery bus accident during a school excursion.
A large funeral site was established near the temple in Lan Sak town, which also houses the school where the deceased were students. Various furnaces with tall smokestacks were constructed, and floral decorations were set up in front of them.
On October 1, a bus carrying 6 teachers and 39 elementary and junior high school students caught fire while traveling on a highway in Pathum Thani, a northern suburb of Bangkok. The fire spread rapidly, leaving only 22 survivors.
Following forensic examinations in Bangkok, the charred remains were confirmed and returned to their hometowns for funeral rituals that started last week.
The incident provoked widespread public indignation over inadequate safety measures and spurred immediate legal action from authorities. The bus driver was apprehended for suspected reckless driving, and charges of negligence leading to death were filed against the woman who owned the bus.
Transport officials were under investigation after it was revealed that the bus had passed an inspection about four months before the incident. In the aftermath of the accident, investigators uncovered that the bus carried 11 natural gas canisters, despite having a permit for only six.
Officials declared that the age-old bus had been modified to run on CNG, a cost-saving measure commonly used by commercial vehicles. According to police, a gas pipe from one of the canisters had come loose, sparking a leak and igniting the gas.
Due to these revelations, over 13,000 CNG-powered buses were ordered for inspection within 60 days, and the Education Ministry temporarily suspended school excursions.
The funeral on Tuesday, held in Uthai Thani province, was sponsored by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was represented by Surayud Chulanont, the head of his Privy Council and a former army chief and prime minister.
The tragedy received international attention, deeply saddening people across the world. Despite being a remote incident in Asia, the loss of innocent lives resonated globally.
In an effort to enhance safety standards, new regulations for school buses in Asia were proposed following the incident.
