Director-General of the Department of Land Transport led a team to explain to the House Committee on Transport that a gas tank with an extended pipe was leaking, the source of death. The investigation found that the tire did not burst, but the axle was broken and scraped the road. He admitted that there was another car with the same type of overload installed. He confirmed that if the investigation finds the culprit, legal action will be taken. Mr. Chirut Wisanjit, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, explained to the Transport Committee, chaired by Mr. Krumanit Sangphum, MP for Surin from the Pheu Thai Party, about the fire incident involving a school bus that caught fire. He said that after he was informed, he traveled to the scene after the emergency had subsided and went to inspect the condition of the vehicle. He assigned Mr. Cheep Nomsian, Director of the Automotive Engineering Office, to summarize the results of the vehicle inspection and initial accident analysis. He said that the ve hicle involved in the accident was a single-decker bus. There were no signs of explosions on the front left and right tires. The emergency door on the rear right was functional. It had all the necessary safety equipment, including emergency doors, emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and a hammer to break the glass. However, the Department of Land Transport is currently working with the Forensic Science Division to analyze and conclude the true cause of the fire. Screenshot Mr. Chatchawan Apirakmankong, spokesman for the Transport Committee, noted that in the details provided by the Department of Land Transport, the vehicle was inspected on May 23, 2024, and the CNG system was inspected by a private company on May 20, 2024, meaning that the gas tank was inspected before the vehicle was inspected. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the other 5 gas tanks that were specially installed were installed after the vehicle was inspected, or whether there was a negligence in the vehicle inspection, and whether it was a phantom vehicle inspection. Mr. Chirut stated that from the investigation of the Department of Land Transport, including the police officers, it was confirmed that the installed gas tank exceeded the limit specified in the vehicle registration, which must not exceed 6 tanks, but this vehicle had 11 tanks in total. The regulations of the Department of Land Transport have several inspection points. The first point is the engineer who certified the gas tank to check the size, age, and connection points to see if they are correct. The second point is the operator who must have good governance. The third point is that there must be a Transport Safety Manager or a safety manager who has been trained and registered. In this case, the certificate has already been revoked, and the officers of the Department of Land Transport will be the final inspector. As for where the excess gas tank came from, we have to wait for another investigation and legal action will be taken. As for the cause of the fire, we still have to wait for the investigation report. In addition, Mr. Chirut also confirmed that there were 5 more gas tanks installed than registered and there was no inspection of the divine car. But when confirming, it was only in the system, not the identity of the person. But he had encountered such a situation and was punished by dismissal. He confirmed that the inspection must see the car. If anyone does not comply, they will be punished by law. Screenshot In this regard, from the incident that occurred, the Department of Land Transport has taken the following actions: Order to suspend the transport operator's license of Ms. Panisara Chinbut Order to suspend the driving license of Mr. Saman Chanput Order to cancel the registration of Ms. Kanitha Chinbut, a relative of the operator as a Transport Safety Management (TSM) personnel. Order to suspend the installation, inspection and testing of vehicles using gas as fuel of Alternative Resources Engineering Co., Ltd. As for the issue of cars that have been used for m ore than 54 years, Mr. Cheep explained that during the registration period, other types of cars were registered, but the cars that have survived until today, if there are any rusted parts, the car owner will take them to be changed at the garage. If anything is broken, they will change it. And the car's engine can be changed. But what remains is the car's chassis frame, which is like the backbone of the car. But after the change, the car owner must have a mechanical engineer certify its strength and stability in order to bring it for inspection and registration. As for the issue of determining the age of this type of bus, Mr. Chirut stated that he had discussed this issue and said that it must be reviewed because the law does not specify the age of the vehicle, but it depends on the standard of inspection for non-regular passenger vehicles. If it is necessary to enact a law after this, it must be done. Source: Thai News Agency
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