The ill-fated double-decker coach, which was involved in a deadly accident and fire yesterday in Pathum Thani province, was about 54 years old and had been heavily modified, according to the registration records of the Land Transport Department.
The vehicle was originally a Japanese-built Isuzu with chassis No: 2105472 and engine No: 422915-20-590053. It was first registered on February 19th, 1970.
Subsequently, it has been re-built on a new chassis and fitted with an eight-cylinder Mercedes engine.
Kongsak Chuenkrailat, a policy and innovations official at the Consumer’s Council, suggested that the management of schools that organise education field trips should look into the safety standards of the vehicles to be used.
Meanwhile, Pol Lt-Gen Trairong Piewpan, commissioner of the Office of Police Forensic Science, said today that forensic investigators and officials from the Land Transport Department are checking the road worthiness of the coach.
He said it was discovered that the coach had been fitted with 10 NGV (natural gas for vehicle) canisters – two each near the two front wheels, one each by the two rear wheels and ten in the mid-section of the coach.
He said that the coach’s owner had only sought permission to install three NGV canisters, adding that, if the discrepancy can be confirmed with the Land Transport Department, the owner would face a charge of modifying the vehicle without permission.
Meanwhile, Songwit Shinbutr, proprietor of the Shinbutr Tour Company, claimed that the coach has passed safety inspections twice each year and all the NGV canisters have built-in safety valves.
