3-year-old pupil dies in asphyxiating heat after school driver and his assistant forgot her in the bus

A three-year-old kindergarten girl died last Wednesday May 11 in asphyxiating heat in a school van for more than seven hours after the driver and his assistant forgot her when they stopped at a housing estate in Samut Prakan, Bangkok.

The deceased identified as Palimprapa "Nong Ing" Pajjaiyo was found lying face down on the floor between the farthest back seat and the rear tailgate door of a Toyota van parked in front of Denchai Samakkhi housing estate at about 3pm.

Pol Lt Col Pisoot Chantarasuwan, deputy chief of Bang Pu police station’s investigative unit, said Arthit Rangsiyo, 30, the van’s driver, and his assistant Sathit Suwannachak, 33, picked up Nong Ing and 12 other kindergarten pupils who live in the housing estate in the morning to take them to Khlong Krabua school located only three kilometres away. Mr Sathit’s job is to take care of the pupils in the chattered van. After all of the children were seated in the van, Mr Arthit found the air-conditioner was out of order, so he parked the van on the roadside in front of the housing estate and asked his friend to get another van to collect them.

Mr Athit and Mr Sathit admitted that they did not do a head count to see if anyone was missing after they moved all of the children into the second van. They then closed the van’s sliding door without realising Nong Ing was still inside. It was believed the child, who was three years and five-months old, was sleeping on the farthest back seat at that time. The men told police it was chaotic when they were leading the children to the second van as some of them were crying as it was only the second day after school opened. The pair discovered that Nong was still inside. It was believed the child, who was three years and five-months old, was sleeping on the farthest back seat at that time. The pair discovered that Nong Ing had disappeared after they returned to the school at 2pm to take the pupils home. They called the young girl’s mother Thanatcha Pajjaiyo, 34, to check with her about Nong Ing’s whereabouts. They then went to check at the parked van and found the young girl had died The pair have initially been charged with carelessness causing death. Mrs Thanatcha(pictured crying beside the body)  said Nong Ing was the youngest of her five children.