More than 20 feared dead after school bus catches fire in Thailand – officials

A bus carrying young students with their teachers caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, with more than 20 of those on board feared dead, officials and rescuers said.

The bus was carrying 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces, transport minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit told reporters at the scene.

The students on the bus were reported to be primary school and young secondary school age.

Interior minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the number of fatalities because they had not finished investigating the scene. He said the driver survived but appeared to have fled and could not yet be found.

Rescuers and officials were able to access the bus hours after the fire was put out.

Mr Piyalak said they were still unable to identify the bodies, most of which were found in the middle and back seats, leading them to assume that the fire had started at the front of the bus.

A rescuer at the scene told Mr Suriya that the fire likely started after one of the tyres exploded and the vehicle scraped against a road barrier.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered her condolences in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, saying the government would take care of medical expenses and compensate the victims’ families.

The patRangsit Hospital, which is located near the scene, said in a news conference that it had admitted three young girls, one of whom suffered burns to the face, mouth and eye.