Tour bus catches fire on Sirat Expressway causing heavy traffic (video)
A tour bus caught fire on the Sirat Expressway’s outbound side in Bangkok, causing heavy traffic but no injuries or deaths. The bus carried 15 Polish tourists, a Thai guide, and a driver, 46 year old Kwonchit.
The tour bus caught fire on the Sirat Motorway this morning, blocking the left lane and causing heavy traffic. The fire is under control with no casualties.
Thai actress Benz Pornchita posted a video of the scene on her Instagram account @pornchita. She expressed her concern for the people involved in the incident.
Kwonchit, the bus driver, revealed that the tour group had departed from a hotel in the Ratchathewi district, Bangkok, en route to Ayutthaya province. He stopped the bus after seeing smoke and smelling burning from the luggage storage area, evacuating the passengers, as well as removing some luggage. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any injuries.
The tour bus sustained extensive damage, including a melted roof structure, broken front tyres, and shattered windows, making it unsalvageable. The exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but it is suspected to have been caused by a faulty item in one of the passengers’ bags. The authorities are still investigating the case.
PLC. Parin Chanlert, Director of Expressway 2 Police Station, stated that the debris from the burnt bus had been cleared from the road surface, although traffic may still be affected at the scene. The bus remains in custody while consultations are underway regarding its disposal. The police have received the driver’s initial statement, but they have not filed any charges yet, as they are conducting further investigation.
The bus involved in the fire was an independently-operated tourist vehicle, not a regularly scheduled interprovincial bus.
Last month a car crash occurred exactly on the Sirat expressway. The driver of a pickup truck on Bangkok’s Sirat expressway lost his life in a high-speed collision. Read more HERE.
