Five people, three adults and two children, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the Bangkok bound bus they were travelling on caught fire in Khon Kaen Province.

12 passengers who suffered serious injuries are being treated at Sirindhorn Hospital while 16 others managed to flee the inferno unscathed.

The bus driver, 48-year-old Phsamdee Khamkhon, told police the bus had left Udon Thani heading for Mo Chit in Bangkok on Monday night as scheduled.

He said as he was passing through Ban Haet district he had a tyre blow out which suddenly set the back of the bus ablaze. The fire spread rapidly and by the time he stopped the vehicle, it was engulfed in flames.

It took firefighters 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

Maj. Gen. Putthipong Musikul, Deputy Chief of Khon Kaen Provincial Police, led a team of investigators to examine the wreckage this morning and question all who managed to escape.

Photo Credit: khonkaenlin

The Thonglor police chief and his deputy have been transferred to inactive posts at the operations centre of the Metropolitan Police Division 5 headquarters effective immediately.

Pol Col Duangchote Suwanjaras, superintendent of Thonglor police station, and Pol Lt Col Thanakorn Ngamyen, the station’s acting deputy superintendent have been kicked out after it came to light the latest Covid cluster originated from two clubs in their district.

A committee was set up on April 9 by Pol Maj Gen Sopon Sarapat, the commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, to conduct an investigation into the origin of the outbreak.

In order to ensure the investigation was just, fair and transparent, it was deemed both officers had to be transferred.

Under the same order, Pol Col Kampanat Aroonkirirote, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, was assigned as acting Thonglor police chief and Pol Thanathip Chompuwanich, chief of crime suppression at Thonglor police station, as acting deputy chief of the station during their absence.

The order is effective from Monday 12th April until further notice.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has prohibited airlines from serving food and drinks to passengers onboard domestic flights in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 beginning April 13.

The order also covers the eating and drinking of food or beverages brought by passengers.

The ban will be in effect until the situation improves or a new regulation is announced.

CAAT has also prohibited the distribution of newspapers, magazines or any pamphlets, except those related to safety, to minimize passengers touching surfaces that could spread the virus.