A fire completely destroyed an air-conditioned bus on Sunday but its 46 passengers who returned from a wedding ceremony in Thailand were unharmed.
The bus owned by Pathomporn Co caught fire on Asia Highway in Manorom district of this central province, forcing all passengers and the driver to flee.
A passenger on the bus whose name was not revealed said the bus was rented in Takhli district of Nakhon Sawan province on Sunday morning to take the groom and some guests to Bang Rakham district in Phitsanulok province where the bride lived.
The same passenger said during the return trip the air conditioner was out of the order and smoke came out of the air-conditioning vents inside the bus. The fire then followed, forcing the driver to pull over.
Firefighters from Chai Nat and Nakhon Sawan provinces were called to the scene. It took them 45 minutes to put out the blaze that completely destroyed the vehicle.
Driver Theerasak Klanfuk said the fire might have started from the malfunctioned cooling panel and he promised the company would take full responsibility for the damage.
Police of the Manorom police station and forensic experts are determining the cause of the blaze and will later press charges against the driver.
