25 feared dead in school bus fire in Thailand

A devastating fire has ripped through school bus carrying 44 students and teachers on a school trip, with up to 25 feared dead. WARNING: Distressing

Firefighters and rescue workers stand next to a burnt-out bus that was carrying students and teachers on the outskirts of Bangkok, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

A devastating fire tore through a Thai bus carrying 44 students and teachers on a school trip Tuesday, officials said, with up to 25 feared dead.

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.”

A fire engulfed a Thai school bus carrying 44 students and teachers, with up to 25 feared dead. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed condolences, confirming fatalities. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

The bus was carrying students from Uthai Thani province when a tyre burst on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb, sending the vehicle crashing into a barrier, a rescue worker said in footage broadcast on local TV.

The rescue worker said the bus was running on compressed gas, and the crash ignited its fuel tanks.

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.

The bus crashed after a tyre burst, igniting its compressed gas fuel tanks, according to rescue workers. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Rescue operations continue, with 25 people unaccounted for amid Thailand’s notorious road safety issues. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

“I have learned of the fire on a bus carrying students from Uthai Thani … resulting in deaths and injuries,” Paetongtarn wrote on X.

“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 toll.