Bangkok taxi boat explodes, injuring 67
At least 67 injured is the balance of a serious accident on Saturday with a taxi boat (bus boat) on the Saen Saep canal in Bangkok. The boat exploded due to a leak in the pipe between the gas tank and the engine.
The boat exploded at 6.12:80 in the morning when there were XNUMX passengers in the boat and docking at Wat Thep Leela pier. Passengers say the engine sputtered several times before the explosion. The explosion damaged the engine room and the roof.
Most of the passengers suffered minor injuries, but the damage was extensive. The government is conducting an investigation into the matter. However, the municipality of Bangkok wants the ferry service to be temporarily suspended.
The owner of the boat, Family Transport Co, says it wants to stop using LNG (liquefied natural gas). The company has 25 boats with gas as fuel. The other 45 boats have a less dangerous diesel engine on board.
40.000 people use the ferry every week and 20.000 passers-by at weekends. The ferry service is popular with students from Ramkhamhaeng and Srinakharinwirot University, so the boats are often overcrowded. Nevertheless, the boat is preferred, because the taxi service is fast, convenient and on time.
Many more people use this boat to cross the Klong sean seap. I go there more often myself. The above numbers are not per week but per day.
http://khlongsaensaep.com/
I have my doubts about 40.000 people a day. But that's not the point. It is strange to me that now the owner is going to stop using that dangerous fuel and want to switch to less dangerous fuel. Something must always happen before taking action. These boats are a great initiative but safety above all. Many countries can learn something about this
If you have ever experienced a morning rush hour along the Klong Sean seap, you know how many people are being transported. It's really bizarre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyK25HG6r2s
According to the transport company in the first link, there are even 60.000 passengers.
The fuel is not dangerous, but as is often the case in Thailand, it may be due to the lack of maintenance.
60.000 a week not a day :-). just count 200 men per boat and every 10 minutes a boat for 12 hours. use of gas + a small leak and it happened in no time. Maintenance is not necessary as long as it pays off
the reason is that when it comes to LPG one is not aware of how to mount it, namely it requires
skilled mechanics who have to work according to the requirements of LPG guidelines, but that does not happen, people just do what they do and do not know how dangerous it is, I myself drove 200.000 km with my Benz on LPG, but it took 2 weeks before I could get my new car at the time pick up, via the importer it had to go through a garage that had a certificate otherwise it was not possible to assemble the installation, I drove without any problems in NL, must say that in Thailand the temperatures are much higher than in NL and that the engine so much hotter so not easy in these temperatures