Police have initially pressed negligence charges against three people involved in a fire drill at a public secondary school where an exploding extinguisher killed one student and injured 10 others on Friday.
The carbon dioxide extinguisher went off at 11.22am in the compound of Rajavinit Mathayom School on Phitsanulok Road near the Royal Turf Club of Thailand in the Nang Loeng area.
More charges could follow after investigators finish questioning other participants at the Nang Loeng police station, Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Thiti Saengsawang said on Friday afternoon.
So far, he said, it appears that none of the participants were aware of any problems with the equipment used for the drill. The extinguishers will be sent for examination to see whether they were all up to standard, said Pol Lt Gen Thiti.
According to the initial police investigation, the high outdoor temperature might have caused the extinguisher to explode. The force of the blast sent the metal cylinder hurtling into the face of the victim who was sitting in a school building nearby.
The dead victim was identified as Khumthong Premmanee, a Mathayom Suksa 6 (Grade 12) student. The injured students — seven boys and three girls — were being treated at nearby hospitals. Of the injured, Chanachai Nennum, a Mathayom Suksa 5 student, sustained shrapnel wounds. Two others were suffering from ringing in their ears.
A total of 126 Mathayom Suksa 5 and 6 students were taking part in the fire safety activity organised by officials from the Sam Sen disaster prevention and mitigation office.
A total of 15 extinguishers were being used and six had been sprayed during demonstrations involving small groups. The one that exploded was a spare that was about 3.5 metres away from the demonstration site.
The extinguisher in question, which had been placed outdoors, exploded before a second round of demonstrations was about to take place.
Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong visited the school in the Dusit area on Friday afternoon and was briefed about the incident. She expressed her condolences to the family of the victim.
“The cause of the blast is being investigated by police to find out whether it was caused by heat or because the extinguisher was very old,” she said.
The Department of Mental Health has sent counsellors to the school to help students deal with the trauma of the incident. The dead student was covered by a school life insurance policy and a fund to assist the family of the victim.
A damaged fire extinguisher is seen after it exploded. (Photo: Nakhon 58, Ruamkatanyu rescue volunteer via Thai Rescue News)
Police cordon off the blast scene at Rajavinit Mathayom School in Bangkok on Friday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong visits the scene to follow up on the incident at the school on Friday. (Photo supplied/ Wassayos Ngamkham)