Another NGV tank explodes

Police suspect the NGV tank installed on a privately owned bus was substandard.

"The Land Transport Department had not yet issued a permit for this bus to switch to natural gas," Samut Prakan police chief MajGeneral Wittaya Prayongpha said yesterday.

The accident has shaken people using NGVfuelled vehicles and those living near service stations.

"We are looking into this case and will determine the cause of the explosion," Wittaya said. "Anyone found responsible for the accident will face legal action."

Nattachart Charuchinda, executive vice president for NGV at PTT, insisted that there was nothing wrong on the part of PTT service station.

"The problem lies with the NGV tank on that bus. It couldn't cope with the normal pressure from gaspumping system," he said.  

The bus belongs to Santimit Transport Company Limited, which is licensed to operate buses on the Pak Nam - Wat Sri Iam - Bang Pakong route.

Yesterday's explosion damaged four buses belonging to the company that were all at the service station for refills. Two taxis, a pickup and a car also sustained damages.

"Just five minutes after my colleague started filling the NGV tank of a bus, it exploded," attendant Sanya Wanjapoh said. His colleague, Lha Maprate, was seriously injured and being treated at Samrong Hospital as of press time.

PTT promises to provide best care to Lha.

According to Deputy Samut Prakan Governor Kamthorn Thavornsathit, a defective NGV tank had caused a similar accident on March 31. "It exploded on a truck, injuring many people and damaging many vehicles," he said.

Dr Atikhom Bangwiwat - a lecturer at the King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri - said no mechanical device was completely safe.

"The best scenario is to minimise damages in cases things go wrong," he said.

The university lecturer expressed deep concern about the lack of tankquality check.

"Each tank should be able to accommodate up to 45,000 times of gas filling for safety reason," he said. Each year, a vehicle owner will fill their tanks no more than 1,000 times.