Firework warehouse explosion kills 12, damages 292 homes

In the Sungai Kolok district of the Deep South province of Narathiwat, a devastating explosion in a firework warehouse claimed 12 lives and injured another 121 injuries yesterday. The explosion also resulted in significant damage to the surrounding area with 292 houses reported to be damaged or entirely obliterated, as announced by the provincial public relations office on their Facebook page today.

Out of the 12 fatalities, seven bodies have been reclaimed by relatives for religious ceremonies whilst the remaining five are still at Sungai Kolok Hospital. Among the five, three have been identified and the remaining two are yet unidentified. Of the 121 injured in the firework explosion, more than 90% have been discharged, while only ten are still receiving treatment at Sungai Kolok Hospital. Only one of the ten is listed in serious condition.

Sanan Pong-aksorn, governor of Narathiwat, visited the site of the firework explosion that transpired around 3pm yesterday in Ban Muno, a village in the district of Sungai Kolok. According to the Governor, the site was originally a grocery shop.

The owner later secured permission to expand the premises into a storage warehouse for merchandise. However, the warehouse is believed to have stored contraband instead, using the space for the prohibited storage of fireworks.

The owner of the warehouse has been identified and was summoned to the police station to provide testimony. The governor suggested that the disaster occurred during a welding project at Weerawat Panit’s shop. The welders were building shelves. The welding process is thought to have sparked the firework explosion, reported Bangkok Post.

The substantial blast led to the destruction of 50 out of 292 houses in the vicinity. The majority of locals were oblivious to the contents of the warehouse as the facility’s doors were usually closed. The only exceptions were when two trucks occasionally arrived to offload merchandise. The firework explosion caught the neighbourhood by surprise

Wichitchat Udomlarpcharoenkit, a rescue leader from a local charity foundation in Sungai Kolok, relayed his experience of the incident. When he led a group of about 40 rescuers to the scene, they were met with the grim sight of incinerated houses and shops, with wreckage scattered widely. Many vehicles had their tyres punctured by flying debris. Heavy machinery was utilised to pry open the damaged houses to extract the casualties, with military personnel and defence volunteers lending their assistance.