BANGKOK: A devastating fire tore through a Thai bus carrying 44 students and teachers on a school trip Tuesday (Oct 1), officials said, with up to 25 feared dead.
The bus was one of three carrying children – ranging from kindergarten age to around 13 or 14 years old – from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam school in the northern province of Uthai Thani.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said there were fatalities and offered condolences to the victims’ families. In a Facebook post on Tuesday evening, the prime minister also said that the government would cover medical expenses and provide compensation to the families of the deceased.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said the number of dead was not clear but 25 people were unaccounted for after the blaze.
“Initial reports said there are 44 on board, 38 students and six teachers. As far as we know now, three teachers and 16 students got out,” he told reporters.
“For those still missing, we are not clear yet.”
The bus caught fire in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok.
According to the Bangkok Post, the incident happened at 12.30pm near the Zeer Rangsit shopping mall, not far from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport.
When CNA arrived on the scene at 5pm, hundreds of emergency personnel remained on site. Police had taped off the immediate crash area and were seen poring over the charred out vehicle, taking photos of the bus’ exterior and interior.
