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30 June 2023
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Bangkok high school student killed by exploding fire extinguisher, injuring 21, Thailand
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An 18-year-old boy was killed and dozens were injured when a fire extinguisher exploded during a drill at a high school in Bangkok on Friday, 23 June 2023, police and fire authorities said. The extinguisher exploded during a fire drill at the Rajavinit Mathayom School, Thiti Saengsawang, commissioner of the city’s Metropolitan Police Bureau, said.
Bangkok’s Fire Rescue said 21 others were injured in Friday's incident. Seven were taken to hospital.
The explosion had sent the extinguisher flying towards the victim, who was about 10 metres away.
The carbon dioxide canister was being displayed in bright sunshine near students during the demonstration in Bangkok when it exploded and sent metal scraps into the chest of the boy who died, Chief Thiti Saengsawang said. Temperatures in Bangkok reached as high as 36 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Rescuers said the extinguisher may have been defective because of sun or heat exposure.
The exploding canister contained carbon dioxide, according to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, the rescue organisation on the scene.
The extinguishers are usually refilled with chemicals when empty, but "how and where they were refilled must be investigated, and safety valves must be checked", said the city's police chief.
Seven instructors at the school are being questioned by police in relation to the incident, state media reported.
The sound of the explosion could be heard in the nearby Government House, where the Thai prime minister and cabinet ministers have their offices, NNT reported.
At least three people could face charges of death by negligence, Thiti said but he did not identify them. Police and rescuers said five students were injured.
Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong said it was the first time in six years that the school had held a fire drill and that it was coordinated by Bangkok’s fire department. She said the department hadn’t experienced such an accident before during the many drills it has conducted at schools.
The cause of the explosion is being investigated.
Source: CNN, Associated Press, BBC
Bangkok’s Fire Rescue said 21 others were injured in Friday's incident. Seven were taken to hospital.
The explosion had sent the extinguisher flying towards the victim, who was about 10 metres away.
The carbon dioxide canister was being displayed in bright sunshine near students during the demonstration in Bangkok when it exploded and sent metal scraps into the chest of the boy who died, Chief Thiti Saengsawang said. Temperatures in Bangkok reached as high as 36 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Rescuers said the extinguisher may have been defective because of sun or heat exposure.
The exploding canister contained carbon dioxide, according to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, the rescue organisation on the scene.
The extinguishers are usually refilled with chemicals when empty, but "how and where they were refilled must be investigated, and safety valves must be checked", said the city's police chief.
Seven instructors at the school are being questioned by police in relation to the incident, state media reported.
The sound of the explosion could be heard in the nearby Government House, where the Thai prime minister and cabinet ministers have their offices, NNT reported.
At least three people could face charges of death by negligence, Thiti said but he did not identify them. Police and rescuers said five students were injured.
Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong said it was the first time in six years that the school had held a fire drill and that it was coordinated by Bangkok’s fire department. She said the department hadn’t experienced such an accident before during the many drills it has conducted at schools.
The cause of the explosion is being investigated.
Source: CNN, Associated Press, BBC
