Families and friends mourn victims of Thai bus fire

Buddhist prayers for the victims will go on for the next four days, followed by a royal cremation ceremony next week ordered by Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Across Thailand, teachers and students laid white flowers in their schools to mourn those who died in what is believed to be Thailand’s deadliest traffic accident in a decade.

The bus driver had told investigators the vehicle lost balance and scrapped a concrete barrier. Sparks of the collision could have set off the blaze, deputy regional police chief Chayanont Meesati said on Wednesday.

The bus, which was fuelled by compressed natural gas, had 11 gas canisters although it was permitted to install only six. The company that owned that bus told local broadcaster ThaiPBS that the vehicle had passed safety standards.

The Thai government has since ordered an inspection of all passenger buses equipped with compressed natural gas.

Tael Narach, the grandmother of a six-year-old victim told Reuters news agency she “fainted right away” on Tuesday when she got news of the fire from her son-in-law.

“I want justice and support (to get justice) for my grandchild,” said Tael, 69.