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Authorities Speed Up Financial Aid for School Bus Fire Victims

Education authorities are speeding up the provision of financial aid to those affected by the recent devastating school bus fire in Pathum Thani, which claimed the lives of 20 students and three teachers.

Acting Sub Lt Thanu Wongjinda, secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec), reported that they are closely monitoring the relief operations.

The tragedy also resulted in injuries to 19 students and four teachers after their bus from Uthai Thani, on an educational trip, burst into flames in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, on October 1. Currently, three students are hospitalized with serious burns.

Acting Sub Lt Thanu has directed all concerned entities to strictly comply with safety measures for future school trips to prevent such incidents.

The Office is pursuing royal honors for the deceased teachers and proposing a seven-step salary increase for them, he added.

Plans are also underway to construct a football field at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani, where the victims studied, in their memory. The project is now in the planning and funding stages.

A total of 56 million baht has been allocated for compensation from various sources, including 23.5 million baht from the Prime Minister’s Office relief fund and 4.7 million from the Ministry of Justice.

Additional funds include 494,500 baht from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, 11.65 million from Mittare Insurance, 500,000 from the Basic Education Fund, and 15 million from Viriyah Insurance.

Each family of the deceased students has received 2.4 million baht, and the families of the deceased teachers have received 2.3 million baht.

Severely injured students received 399,500 baht, other injured students 299,500 baht, and each injured teacher 10,000 baht.

Furthermore, Acting Sub Lt Thanu noted that 3.7 million baht raised through a special relief fund would be distributed among the affected individuals.

From this amount, 600,000 baht will be given to each gravely injured student, 300,000 baht to other injured students, 100,000 baht to injured teachers, and 90,000 baht to each of the 23 bereaved families.

Additionally, political activist Sonthiya Sawasdee has urged the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the Ministry of Transport, its Department of Land Transport, and the Sing Buri-based bus operator for possible negligence.

Police findings revealed that the 54-year-old bus had been modified to run on compressed natural gas, but the modifications did not meet legal standards.