ONLY a third of students went back to Pitakkiatwittaya School in the far North – where a fire killed 17 girls in its dormitory on May 22 – when it reopened yesterday.

Just 41 students turned up at the charity-run school, located in Wiang Pa Pao district in Chiang Rai. Before the blaze, the school had 142 children studying there.

Officials at the school said some students injured by the fire were still receiving treatment at |hospitals and could not return to class yet.

Six girls were injured when they fled from the blaze.

But they said some others had quit the school.

Students who showed up at Pitakkiatwittaya School yesterday did not receive regular lessons. The school played songs and provided counselling to students with psychologists and teachers.

“There will be no normal classes this week,” Pitakkiatwittaya School director Pim Wassana said.

She said teachers, students and all people involved in the school planned to go the dormitory where the fire took place to pray for those who died.

After the blaze, people donated more than Bt12.3 million to the school and for the victims’ families. Relevant authorities are discussing how best to help those affected with the money available.

Families of the deceased and injured have also received financial compensation from an insurance firm through policies taken out by the school.

The Institute of Forensic Medicine has helped identify all the victims, although most bodies were charred beyond recognition.

National Police Office deputy spokesman Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said officials would soon return the bodies to their families.

He said 30 people had lodged complaints with police over the fire.

“The culprits, if any, would face both criminal and civil proceedings,” Krissana said.

Provincial Police Region 5 deputy commissioner Maj-General Songtham Allapach said that the investigation into the fire was more than 80 per cent complete.

“We believe we will be able to conclude the investigation within one week,” he said.

More than 50 witnesses have provided information to police.

“We need to focus on two points,” he said. “Firstly, we need to determine whether the fire took place because of the recklessness of any person. Secondly, we need to find out whether the school had implemented efficient preventive measures.”