When corruption causes tragedy: an overview

On December 23, the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand, led by Mana Nimitmongkol, listed the top 10 corruption cases of 2024 on its Facebook page. Coming at the top of the list was the reduction of sentences and privileges granted to convicted corruption offenders.

The second-ranked case involved the tragic school bus fire that claimed 23 lives, most of whom were children. The organisation criticised the lack of accountability, noting that no Department of Land Transport officials faced any consequences. It also highlighted the government’s failure to address systemic bribery in state agencies to prevent future incidents, despite the widespread issue of illegal vehicles on the roads posing significant dangers.

The untimely deaths of so many children in this preventable tragedy were deemed the nation’s “Tragedy of the Year”.

At 12.20pm on October 1, police in Pathum Thani reported that a fire had broken out on a student excursion bus on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near the National Memorial in Khu Khot, Lam Luk Ka district.

Rushing to the scene, authorities found a double-decker NGV-powered air-conditioned bus, operated by Shinbutr, completely engulfed in flames. The front door was able to open slightly but the emergency exit failed to function.

Firefighters battled the blaze for over 40 minutes before it was extinguished.

After the fire was put out, rescuers discovered the remains of 23 victims, namely 20 students and 3 teachers, near the rear of the bus. Some teachers were found tightly embracing the children in a heartbreaking final act of protection.

The victims were from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Lan Sak District, Uthai Thani Province. They were on an educational trip to the Ayutthaya Historical Park and were en route to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) headquarters in Nonthaburi Province, when the accident occurred.

The group travelled in three buses, with the ill-fated second bus carrying 44 passengers: 38 kindergarten to Grade 3 students and six teachers.

The accident occurred when the bus veered out of control, colliding with a Mercedes-Benz and then striking the road’s central barrier. The fire spread rapidly. The driver, a 48-year-old man, initially attempted to extinguish the flames but fled the scene when unsuccessful. He later surrendered to the police.

In his statement, the driver claimed he was travelling at 70–80 km/h when he heard a loud noise, possibly from a tyre bursting. The front wheels pulled to the right, causing the collision with the Mercedes-Benz and then scraping the barrier, which led to the fire. He said he tried to open the emergency exit and used a fire extinguisher from another bus but failed to contain the blaze. Panicked, he fled to a relative’s home before turning himself in.

Preliminary investigations suggested a gas leak had caused the fire to spread rapidly into the passenger cabin.

The bus had been in operation for 54 years, far exceeding the recommended lifespan of 10–15 years for public transport vehicles, and was first registered in 1970, originally as an Isuzu chassis and engine. It had since undergone body modifications, engine replacements, and the installation of an NGV system. The gas cylinders on the bus had been in use for 15 years and were set to expire in 2026.

Inspection revealed no tyre explosion but found that the bus had 11 gas cylinders, exceeding the six permitted. A disconnected gas pipe caused the leak, and the front axle had broken, scraping the road.
Additionally, no emergency hammers were found on the bus to break the windows in case of emergencies.

Jirut Wisaljit, director-general of the Department of Land Transport, stated that those responsible for the excess gas cylinders included the vehicle owner, the driver, the engineer who inspected the bus and Transport Safety Management (TSM) personnel.

When officials ordered all vehicles from the company to be inspected, it was discovered that the owner had secretly taken the vehicles to have the excess gas cylinders removed.

The driver and vehicle owner faced legal charges, while the department disciplined the engineer responsible for the vehicle inspection.

In response, the government instructed the department to inspect all 13,426 public and private CNG-powered buses nationwide within 60 days. Educational institutions were also directed to ensure safety checks for rented or chartered buses before any trip.

Drivers and staff must now undergo training and testing in crisis management and passenger assistance. Additionally, non-scheduled buses with 21 or more seats providing services for student field trips must include at least one on-board service staff member.

Despite these measures, no actions directly addressed corruption, the root cause of the incident.

This tragic accident stemmed from systemic corruption, and unless public officials uphold their responsibilities, similar accidents are likely to occur again.

“I am confident in the standards of the Department, but we cannot determine how this bus passed its inspection,” Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul commented. “The police must investigate further. Based on what we saw yesterday, it was undoubtedly unsafe.”

Although measures have been implemented to address issues with field trip buses, subsequent accidents involving student transport of other types have occurred, with minimal intervention from authorities to address the underlying issues.