BANGKOK– A bus carrying young students and their teachers on a school trip caught fire on Tuesday in a Bangkok suburb, killing more than 20 people, officials and rescuers said.
The bus with 45 passengers – six teachers and 39 primary and secondary students – was coming from the central province of Uthai Thani when it caught fire in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the Thai capital, the Thai capital said. Acting Police Commissioner Kitrat Phanphet.
The fire was first reported around midday and was put out less than an hour later, but rescuers said they were unable to board for hours because the heat inside of the natural gas-powered vehicle could have caused more explosions.
Police are still working to identify the dead, but three teachers and 20 students are still missing, Kitrat said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Kitrat said the initial investigation indicates a tire exploded and caused sparks, which ignited a fire that spread through the bus. He did not specify.
No other vehicles were involved, he said.
There were discrepancies in reports about the number of people on the bus. Rescuers cited teachers who survived as saying there were three school buses for that trip and that along the way, some students took different buses than they were initially on.
Videos posted on social media showed the entire bus engulfed in fire with black smoke billowing from the bus on the side of a road.
Piyalak Thinkaew, a rescuer with the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, told reporters that most of the bodies were found in the middle and back seats, leading them to assume the victims had backed away and the fire had taken at the front of the bus.
Police were searching for the driver who appeared to have fled the scene, Kitrat said, adding that the bus company and individuals involved could face charges if found responsible.
“Such an incident causes great sadness and grief,” he told reporters at a news conference.
“We cannot in any way distort the facts or help anyone” escape justice, Kitrat said, adding that 16 students were treated for minor injuries and sent home while three others were hospitalized.
The nearby patRangsit Hospital said three girls were initially treated there, including one suffering from burns to her face, mouth and eyes. Surgeon Anocha Takham said doctors would do their best to prevent the girl, aged around 7, from losing her sight.
The girls were then transferred to other hospitals for further treatment.
Kitrat said a teacher who survived told police the fire spread so quickly that she didn’t even have time to grab her cellphone. Some on board managed to escape through the door while others jumped out of the windows.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered his condolences in a message on social media platform X, promising that the government would cover medical costs and help the victims’ families. She then visited the injured in the hospital.
When reporters asked her about the Government House fire, Paetongtarn was overcome with emotion and burst into tears. She became Prime Minister in August and is the mother of two children.
The accident sparked criticism over the safety of children who travel for long hours across provinces on roads known for their high rates of road accidents and deaths.
The World Health Organization estimates that every year, 20,000 people are killed and one million are injured in road accidents in Thailand.
