Dozens Of Students, Teachers Killed As School Bus Catches Fire In Thailand

A bus transporting dozens of primary school children has crashed and burst into flames near Bangkok, Thailand, leaving many feared dead or injured.

Sixteen children and three teachers managed to escape, but 22 students and three teachers remain unaccounted for, according to the country’s transport minister.

Thailand’s prime minister confirmed the incident had resulted in “deaths and injuries,” though the exact number of fatalities is still unknown.

Images of the scene show the bus completely engulfed by fire. Investigators have been unable to access the vehicle due to extreme heat, local media reported.

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Eight of the 19 survivors were taken to the hospital for treatment, according to a health ministry official.

The bus was part of a convoy of three, transporting students and teachers back from a school field trip in Uthai Thani province.

Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit noted that the bus was fueled by “extremely risky” compressed natural gas.

Transport Minister Suriyahe Juangroongruangkit said the bus was powered by “extremely risky” compressed natural gas.

“This is a very tragic incident,” Mr Suriyahe told reporters at the scene.

“The ministry must find a measure… if possible, for passenger vehicles like this to be banned from using this type of fuel because it’s extremely risky.”

Thailand’s prime minister, meanwhile, has ordered ministers to visit the scene.

“As a mother, I would like to express my deepest regrets to the families of those killed,” Paetongtarn Shinawatra said.

“The government will be responsible for all the medical costs and the compensation for those killed,” she added.

Piyalak Thinkaew, who is leading the search, said the bodies of those killed were so badly burned, it was hard to identify them.

“Some of the bodies we found were very, very small,” he told reporters at the scene, adding that the fire started at the front of the bus.

“The kids’ instinct was to escape to the back so the bodies were there,” he said.

The bus was traveling along a highway into Bangkok when a tyre burst, causing it to crash into a barrier, a rescue worker explained in footage aired on local television.

Video from the scene showed the bus engulfed in flames beneath an overpass, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.

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