Around 20 students and teachers are feared dead in Thailand on Tuesday when a school bus they were traveling on for a field trip burst into flames, authorities said.
The bus was headed from central Uthai Thani province to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces when the fire broke out on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok, Transport Minister Suriya Juangrongruangkit told reporters at the scene.
Images taken at the scene showed flames engulfing the charred bus and black smoke billowing into the air.
“Teachers said the fire started very quickly,” acting police chief Kittilat Phanpet told reporters. “From speaking with witnesses, we believe the explosion was caused by sparks from the tires igniting the gas cylinder that was powering the vehicle.”
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Firefighters extinguished the blaze on Tuesday after a bus carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya School on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand caught fire. (Reuters/Charigny Tiraspa)
He added that some students fled through windows as the fire raged.
Piyarak Tinkeo, a rescue worker with the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, told reporters that 23 passengers on the bus – three teachers and 20 students – were missing and feared dead. Two more survivors were found after 25 people were previously thought to have died, Singkeo said.
Rescuers say 20 students and three teachers are feared dead after the fire. (AP Photo/Satchai Lalit)
Those on the bus are believed to be elementary and junior high school students.
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Juanrunluangkit said 16 students and three teachers were hospitalized and receiving treatment. Their situation was unclear.
Officials said the fire appeared to have started after a tire exploded. (Reuters/Charigny Tiraspa)
Fanpet said the investigation is ongoing.
Prime Minister Pethuntarun Shinawatra expressed his condolences in a post on social media platform X, saying the government would cover medical costs and compensate the families of the victims.
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“As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family,'' she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
