A school bus running on compressed gas which was carrying children and their teachers erupted in fire killing 20 children and three teachers.
However, 19 children and three teachers survived with burn injuries. The victims involved eleven male, seven female and unidentifiable five making a total of 23 victims.
The bus erupted into flames at Bangkok around 12:38 pm on Wednesday October 2 on a field trip in Thailand while returning the children who went to the north of the country on a school trip, with the vehicle was completely burnt.
The children were coming from the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani province when the.unfortunate incident happened in Pathum Thani province.
According to witnesses, the incident happened after the bus’s front tyre burst resulting in collision with a concrete barrier which sparked the fire. Attempts by the driver to put out the fire were not successful.
While ages of the children are yet unknown, reports suggested they could be between three and 15 years old as the school caters for pupils between those ages.
Rescuers explained that the collision with the barrier ignited the gas fuel tanks of the bus with the Thailand transport minister Suriyahe Juangroongruangkit describing the gas as ‘extremely risky’.
Identifying bodies of the victims became so difficult as they were burnt beyond recognition, according to the police..
Reacting, Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
‘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.’
Reports indicate that yearly, 20,000 people die from accidents in Thailand making it one of the countries with the worst road safety records in the world.