Rajavinit Mathayom School in Bangkok has announced the suspension of classes for two days following a fire extinguisher blast that killed one student and injured scores of students during a fire drill on Friday.
The loss of life has badly affected the physical and mental health of students participating in the fire drill, said Thepparit Yodsai, director of the public-run school, who signed an order on Friday to suspend classes on Monday and Tuesday.
The carbon dioxide extinguisher went off at 11.22am in the school compound on Phitsanulok Road near the Royal Turf Club of Thailand in the Nang Loeng area.
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 male victim who was sitting in a nearby school building.
The dead victim was identified as Khumthong "Benz" Premmanee, a Mathayom Suksa 6 (Grade 12) student. Initial reports put the number of the injured students at 10, but the number later changed.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, after inspecting the school on Friday, said that the blast killed a student and slightly injured 21 others. Of the injured, five were sent to two hospitals.
Mr Chadchart expressed his deepest regret over the loss of life.
According to the governor, the school had contacted the Sam Sen district fire station and rescue officials to educate students and personnel about a fire drill.
As there were many students, the plan was to hold three rounds of demonstrations with 14 fire extinguishers. The extinguisher in question, which had been placed outdoors, exploded before a second round of demonstrations was about to take place. It went off about 10 metres away from the spot where students sat.
The governor said the CO2 fire extinguishers used for the demonstrations were pressurised to 800 to 1,200 pounds per square inch (psi), while fire extinguishers at communities were pressurised to only 100 psi.
During fire drills, CO2 extinguishers are normally used as they are known for their quick extinguishing time and lack of residue. The chemical compound is different from other chemicals that emit white smoke and spread over the area.
Police were investigating the cause of the explosion. Investigators informed that the fire extinguisher involved in this incident was six years old and CO2 was not filled up to full capacity, said Mr Chadchart, adding forensic results would help shed light on how it went off.
City Hall has purchased almost 10,000 fire extinguishers to be distributed to communities.
The governor said those fire extinguishers were different from the one that exploded. They were special tanks and had lower pressure, which were mostly used in government offices, said Mr Chadchart. He told people not to panic. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) would strictly inspect the safety of fire extinguishers, he said.
Pol Col Ratthanon Ekthitikul, chief of Nang Loeng police station, said on Saturday that police have pressed two charges against three people involved in this fire safety demonstration.
The three men - Naphat Loymek, Atthaphol Thongrat and Chart-archanai Boonket - were charged with negligent acts causing death under Section 291 of the Criminal Code and negligent acts causing bodily and mentally harm under Section 390.
During questioning, the suspects confessed to all charges and gave full cooperation to investigators, said Pol Col Ratthanon.
Police on Saturday took the three suspects to the Criminal Court to seek their detention for the first round. The officers did not oppose bail, as the three surrendered themselves and showed no sign of escape.
The family of Khumthong held funeral rites for him at Wat Khae Nang Loeng on Saturday.
His uncle Pheeraphon Premmanee said he was overwhelmed with gratitude after being informed by the school director that Their Majesties the King and Queen would grant a royal wreath for his nephew
The school would host all three nights of funeral rites, and the cremation would be held on Tuesday.
Former politician Chuvit Kamolvisit on Saturday donated 100,000 baht to support the family of the dead student, according to reports.
He urged the BMA to replace all fire drill equipment with new ones to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
