Probe into old artillery shells found in recycling factory

Bang Bua Thong Police superintendent Pol Colonel Atthanop Nuamnaka disclosed on Thursday that a police team had been sent to Sinkiat Interproduct Company in Bangkok, from whom the recycling shop in Nonthaburi claimed it had bought the old artillery shells. Five witnesses were summoned to give information about the blast.
Meanwhile, all 417 artillery shells seized from the recycling factory were moved away from the parking lot of the Bang Bua Thong Police Station parking lot to be safely stored at the Police Ordnance Division.

Atthanop said the owner of Sinkiat Interproduct Company, Witshuda Kaengrungruangchai, was charged with being in possession of unregistered and illegal firearms. Witshuda was given bail on payment of Bt200,000.
One of the workers who witnessed the blast, Sujinda Khammanee, informed that all the artillery shells were sent to their factory on the day before the accident and everyone thought that they were just steel pipes. One of the workers – Somchai Chasanguan – was seriously injured when one of the shells that he was cutting exploded.
Somchai suffered severe burns and is now in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
Army spokesperson Colonel Winthai Suvaree said from the appearance it seemed the shells were more than a decade old and the blast may have been caused by the dynamite in the shell catching fire when it was being cut.
Winthai said these shells were not from the Army. He said the Army follows strict rules on ammunition storage and old artillery shells, and those that cannot be used would be properly eliminated to prevent any misuse.