Viral Portal News: Bangkok

Bangkok river taxi explodes, 50 commuters injured

Unknown 3:29 AM Bangkok , commuters , explodes , Injured , River , Taxi

<ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A commuter boat in Bangkok exploded while ferrying 70 passengers</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">50 people, including two who were badly scalded, were taken to five different hospitals</li> <li style="text-align: justify;">A fuel leak caused the river taxi to explode</li> </ul>The engine of a commuter boat or river taxi in Bangkok exploded on Saturday, March 5, injuring 50 passengers. City emergency officials said the explosion took place at around 6:20 a.m. while it was approaching Wat Thep Leela pier near Ramkhamhaeng Soi 39 in Bang Kapi district. The river taxi was carrying at least 70 passengers when the incident occurred, some of whom were forced to jump into the water for safety. Footage from a surveillance video at the dock showed thick black smoke coming from the rear end of the river taxi as the passengers were climbing out of the commuter boat. Moments later, it caught fire and exploded. Two of the passengers were badly scalded and in critical condition. The injured passengers were rushed to five different hospitals including the Erawan Medical Emergency Center. “As of now, we have 50 injured and sent to five hospitals, of these two are in critical condition,” an official at the interior ministry’s disaster center said. A fuel leak onboard reportedly caused the explosion, but images released by police authorities showed the river taxi still largely intact. Local police official Lt. Col. Chaithanan Jirapiyaset said most of the passengers were Thai nationals, but the police are still trying to find out if there were foreign nationals aboard the ill-fated river taxi. The <a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/world/article64160832.html">Star Telegram </a>said the boat was just one of the many commuter vessels plying the city’s extensive network of canals and waterways. Most of the river taxis are old and often overcrowded but accidents like this are not common. Here’s a video clip of the boat explosion: <iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D05g8OWYkXc?feature=oembed" frame allowfullscreen></iframe>   <a href="http://kickerdaily.com/bangkok-river-taxi-explodes-commuters-injured/" rel="nofollow">Kicker Daily News</a>

A commuter boat in Bangkok exploded while ferrying 70 passengers 50 people, including two who were badly scalded, were taken to five differe...