School Outing Turns Deadly: Fire Engulfs Bus Carrying Students And Teachers In Bangkok, 25 Feared Dead

A bus carrying 44 students and teachers in Bangkok caught fire after a tyre burst, leaving nearly 25 people feared dead, prompting condolences from the Prime Minister as rescue efforts continue.
Bangkok bus fire

Bangkok bus fire

A bus carrying 44 students and teachers was left completely charred as a devastating fire ripped through the vehicle following a tyre burst in Thailand's Bangkok, Tuesday. Initial reports suggest that nearly 25 people are feared dead in the incident. As per reports, the bus was travelling from Uthai Thani province and was ferrying schoolchildren and teachers for a picnic when a tyre burst on a highway in northern Bangkok, sending the vehicle crashing into a barrier. A rescue worker said that the crash ignited the fuel tanks of the bus which was running on compressed gas, setting it ablaze.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said there were fatalities and offered condolences to the victims' families. Transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the number of fatalities 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."
Video footage from the scene showed flames engulfing the bus as it burned under an overpass, huge clouds of dense black smoke billowing into the sky.
"I have learned of the fire on a bus carrying students from Uthai Thani... resulting in deaths and injuries," Paetongtarn wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
"As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the injured and deceased."
The blaze has been put out but rescue workers have had to wait for the bus to cool down before searching it for bodies, a rescue worker said.
Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with unsafe vehicles and poor driving contributing to the high annual death count.
(With inputs from AFP)
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