Two people, happy to have survived a massive blast at a firecracker factory in Suphan Buri province on Wednesday, say they are sad over the loss of many of their family members and relatives in the accident, which claimed 23 lives.
Namfon Boonklom said she left the factory shortly before the explosion, because one of her sons needed some money and had insisted that she go home to give it to him. “Usually, he would visit the factory to get the money, but yesterday he changed his mind. He called me repeatedly, so I left the factory for home,” she said.
The explosion occurred about 30 minutes later. Another son of hers called her and told her about the accident. That is when she learned about it.
Namfon boonklom
“Despite my own luck, I have lost my mother and other relatives in the explosion,” she said, adding that people working in the factory were local residents and many were from the same family, hitting the community hard.
Meanwhile, Suriya Wacharapimonmitr, the 56-year-old owner of the factory said he lost his wife and a son in the blast. He mentioned that he was away from the factory on an errand when the explosion happened.
“I am shocked and speechless, not only because the factory was destroyed and many people died, but also because I lost family members too. I have to comfort many families who lost their loved ones while I am still shocked by the tragedy,’ he said.
