23 Children And Teachers Presumed Dead After School Bus Catches Fire In Thailand
A tragic incident in Thailand has left 23 people, including teachers and kindergarten students, feared dead after a school bus caught fire while on a field trip.
The accident took place at approximately 12:30 PM local time on a highway in Pathum Thani Province, just north of Bangkok. The students were from a school in Uthai Thani Province and were traveling to Nonthaburi Province.
The bus was carrying 45 people in total, including 38 students between the ages of 6 and 15, 6 teachers, and the bus driver. Of those on board, 21 managed to escape, but the remaining 23 individuals have yet to be accounted for. Authorities suspect they may have died in the fire, as many are still unidentified.
Police believe the fire likely started after the bus’s left front tire blew out, causing the vehicle to hit a central divider. The friction may have sparked a fire that spread to the bus’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank, leading to a deadly explosion.
At the scene, more than 10 bodies were found near the rear exit of the bus. Due to the severity of the fire, many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, and officials are still working to confirm the total number of casualties.
Those injured in the fire are being treated at local hospitals, with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visiting the wounded and offering condolences to the families of the victims.
The bus driver survived the incident but fled the scene soon after the fire broke out. Police are currently trying to locate him as part of their investigation into the cause of the accident.
At least 23 people died in Thailand when a school bus carrying more than 40 students and teachers on a field trip caught fire in the outskirts of the capital Bangkok, police said on Tuesday.
COURTESY: REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
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Images and videos of the scene, showing the bus engulfed in flames, quickly spread on social media. After the fire was extinguished, the bus was left charred, with only the frame remaining.
