School bus catches fire in Thailand, 25 people 'dead'

Thai media and rescue workers reported that the fire broke out around noon in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the capital, as the vehicle was heading to Nonthaburi province.

A rescue worker at the scene said the fire may have started after one of the tyres exploded and the car scraped against a road barrier.

Firefighters extinguish a fire on a bus carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, October 1. Photo: Reuters

Thai Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit said the bus was carrying 44 people from Wat Khao Phraya School in Uthai Thani province, central Thailand, on a field trip to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces. Sixteen students and three teachers were taken to hospital for treatment.

Videos on social media showed the entire bus stopped on the side of the road, engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke. Hours after the fire, several bodies were still inside the bus.

The students on the bus are believed to be elementary and middle school students. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the death toll because they had not completed their investigation into the scene, but based on the number of survivors, he said 25 people were believed to have died.

He said the driver survived but appeared to have fled and has not been found.

Rescue group Hongsakul Khlong Luang 21 posted on Facebook that they had found at least 10 bodies on the bus. The group said at least 19 people survived the fire.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed his condolences in a post on social media X, saying the government would cover medical expenses and compensate the victims' families.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/xe-bust-cho-hoc-sinh-boc-chay-o-thai-lan-25-nguoi-da-tu-vong-post314762.html