NARATHIWAT: The Social Security Office (SSO) has been ordered to compensate victims of the July 29 fireworks warehouse explosion in Sungai Kolok district, which killed 12 people, injured 121 and damaged 292 houses in tambon Muno.
Out of the 121 people hurt in the incident, nine reported moderate injuries while one person was severely injured. As of Wednesday, 101 have been discharged from hospital.
SSO secretary-general Boonsong Thapchaiyut said the SSO will distribute compensation to survivors, and other benefits owed to those who were killed to their next of kin.
He assured the fund would compensate all subscribers affected by the blast and their registered dependants, though he stopped short of saying how much the SSO will have to spend on the compensation.
Narathiwat's SSO branch began distributing compensation to victims' families yesterday, with SSO inspector Sakdinat Sonthisakyothin and acting director-general of the province's SSO presenting 1.142 million baht to the family of Hafiz Abdullah, one of the 12 people killed by the blast.
The fund would cover Hafiz's funeral expenses, which came up to 50,000 baht. The rest was meant for his descendants.