Bangkok -Udon bus crashes, 5 dead

[Zidane]

Local media is reporting that a bus from Bangkok to Udon Thani has crashed earlier today on Mittraphap Road just outside Khon Kaen.
5 dead, including a pregnant lady and over 30 injured.
RIP to the victims.

[Bandung_Dero]

https://www.sanook.com/news/8364770/

Could have been a lot worse had the normal Songkran passenger traffic been onboard. Packed in, sitting on stools up the isle as well. I have been there when I couldn't get a flight or hire a car.

[choi choi]

A double decker. The rear tyre caught fire.
Guess the only way out was rear door!

[Doodoo]

You weren't there so any comments are uncalled for. 5 people died along with a child Show some common sense and mercy

[Khun Paul]

Actually reading the BKK press release it was in fact going towards Bangkok, having just left KK . Very sad and the loss of life unacceptable. One wonders how a burst tyre managed to set fire to the engine compartment and the driver was unaware of the burst tyre.

[Drunk Monkey]

According TV news reports the bus was running on LPG hence the fireball from a rear tyre blow out .. the images showed a large gas cylinder located just in front of the rear wheel arch.

Bearing in mind the nature of the use I did not know tour buses were allowed to be converted only ever seen other vehicles

All the people who lost theur lives were sat above where the LPG gas cyclinder was housed .. one channel asked the question if it was actually LPG or a lower quality substitute being used.

Very sad , terrible New Year for the families of the people killed and those in hospital recovering.

DM

[Whistler]

Lots of buses run on LPG in Australia and other countries, cheaper to run and lower emissions. An exploding LPG tank would be unusual if properly maintained, so I would suggest there could have been a maintenance problem.

The tanks should be pressure tested every five years and checked for corrosion, if there is excess pressure at any time they are should be fitted with a release valve that will vent off excess pressure. Even if that vent ignites, the tanks are designed to stay intact unless the entire area around them is on fire, then as the tank vents its last piece of gas, it explodes in what is called a BLEVE.

If that tank did explode it would have been a tremendous blast. I experienced a BLEVE at a paint factory many years ago as a firey, when the propellent gas tank holding gas for spray cans blew. An amazing sight.

There are a few youtube vids of BLEVE's including one where a railway tanker flew 4,000 feet upon explosion.

Of course TIT and what should have been maintained may not have happened properly.

[bluejets]

The gas machines are out down here also after a couple of explosions.
Seems even regular checks are insufficient.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-03/ ... /12840670

[Whistler]

Sydney's & Melbourne's Taxi fleet is almost entirely gas powered, has been like that for decades, I am not aware of a single explosion. These are checked annually.

[tamada]

If the tank exploded, there wouldn't be much of the bus left, no? Probably the shredded, flailing tire ripped out a gas line and that flaming torch burned the back off the bus. I recall a horror accident maybe last year, on the road from Rayong where a pickup and LPG minivan collided head-on after a median crossover. The minivan passengers were trapped inside the same sort of blazing gas oven.

There was a gas-fueled fire on a inter-provincial bus maybe 5 years ago that knee-jerked the government into announcing the banning of these hand-made double-deckers. Apparently you can't get new ones so they are probably recycling the old ones, same as they do with minivans. Chop shops making new from old.

[Drunk Monkey]

From the news footage on TV it was an intense fire that took hold very quickly .. the burnt out wreckage showed the gas tank still in one piece so as you comment Tam its likely a gas line was fractured when the tire blew out .. the gas tank was housed directly in front of the rear wheel arch.

It took firemen an hour to get the fire under control , 12 people are in hospital recovering from severe burn injuries.

DM

[tamada]

From the news footage on TV it was an intense fire that took hold very quickly .. the burnt out wreckage showed the gas tank still in one piece so as you comment Tam its likely a gas line was fractured when the tire blew out .. the gas tank was housed directly in front of the rear wheel arch.

It took firemen an hour to get the fire under control , 12 people are in hospital recovering from severe burn injuries.

DM

Dodgy installation. No protection on exposed gas lines and more importantly, faulty or no safety valve on the tank that shuts off the flow when an 'open circuit' exceeds regular flow rates. The firemen probably couldn't do anything until the tank(s) emptied.

[Khun Paul]

Agree with all comments, after researching the GAS tank and relevant pipework should be encased so as to NOT get damaged by anything or even damaged by vibration. Sadly here safety features may or may not have been followed and subsequent maintenance checks were just a look see or even undertaken .Now we have deaths and injuries from a Bus company PAID to take people from A to B safely ..........sad, very sad and probably avoidable `. The next question, probably now undeterminable is what was the quality of the tyres etc, bald, slightly damaged walls etc. We had this some years ago when checks were made at Bus stations, probably now NOT Done another safety check not undertaken at the expense of passengers lives .

[semperfiguy]

My wife tells me there was a motorbike being transported on-board the bus, and gasoline from it's tank fueled the fire. Surely this is not standard operating procedures to allow such a thing, but nothing surprises me here!

[Giggle]

Udon Map Traffic Review Board has nothing on Udon Map Air Crash Investigation Panel. Come on geezers, put on yore thinkin' caps. It had to be faulty brakes.

[tamada]

My wife tells me there was a motorbike being transported on-board the bus, and gasoline from it's tank fueled the fire. Surely this is not standard operating procedures to allow such a thing, but nothing surprises me here!

I've shipped bikes on the 407 service before. Very common with other transport companies as well. The space above the engine compartment can hold at least 4. We had to make sure the tank was "empty" before loading as they're not supposed to accept them with full tanks.

[Niggly]

Apparently you can send motorcy in Thailand Post too.

I took a fancy to one when we were in Pattaya & the shop said they could post it when I started making excuses the truck was too full. I guess they’d need draining of liquids

[Khun Paul]

BKK Post now showing that driver has been charged and bail refused for further enquires. No mention of the motorcycle, but it did say the driver heard the tyre burst, obviously he did not stop then !!! Draw whatever conclusions from that info as you like .

[Doodoo]

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2100587
An update to the cause of the crash and fire

[Whistler]

For this to happen, the gas cylinder was mounted in a vulnerable compartment. It should be in an isolated area where foreign objects could not enter. A very dodgy installation of the gas tank.