It was an old vehicle
The bus that caught fire and plunged off the road and into a bank on Tuesday in Saraburi, killing 29 passengers, had been in use for 36 years, a senior public transport official said yesterday.
Banthoon Yuwawat, chief of the pubic transport office in Ubon Ratchathani where the bus was registered, said Sri Sa-nguan Yanyont Co Ltd, which operated the Yasothon-Bangkok bus service, registered the vehicle in 1971.Adul Boonthook, the driver who survived the accident, was a well-behaved man who would not have been driving in a reckless manner prior to the accident, said Sompong Thongphairoj, a fellow driver at the firm. The firm said Adul, 35, was promoted to leading driver a year ago, after serving as a co-driver and initially as a bus attendant. The accident left 29 passengers dead at the scene. One person died in hospital later. Another 35 people suffered from burns. Police have not completed their investigation into the accident or determined what was the cause of the fire. A survivor was quoted as saying the fire came from underneath the bus, which could not stop as it went downhill because the brake system had failed.
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