Almost two dozen students and teachers in Thailand is feared dead after a school bus went up in flames Tuesday while he was traveling for a field trip Tuesday, officials said.
The bus traveled from central Uthai Thani province to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces when the fire broke out on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit told reporters at the scene.
Pictures taken at the scene show flames engulfing the burning bus as plumes of black smoke billow into the air.
“The teachers told us that the fire ignited very quickly,” Acting Police Chief Kittirat Phanphet told reporters. “From speaking to witnesses, we believe the explosion was caused by a spark from the tire igniting the gas cylinder that powered the vehicle.”
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Firefighters extinguished a burning bus carrying teachers and students from the Wat Khao Phraya school on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa)
He added that some students escaped through windows as the fire burned.
Piyalak Thinkaew, a rescuer with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, told reporters that 23 passengers – three teachers and 20 students – aboard the bus were missing and feared dead. It was previously believed that 25 were feared dead, but Thinkaew said two more survivors had been found.
Rescuers said 20 students and three teachers were feared dead after the fire. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The students on the bus were reported to be there primary and secondary school.
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Juangroongruangkit said 16 students and three teachers were hospitalized and receiving treatment. Their terms were unclear.
Officials said the fire was believed to have started after a tire exploded. (REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa)
Phanphet said an investigation is underway.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered his condolences in a post on social media platform X, saying the government would take care of medical expenses and compensate victims’ families.
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“As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families,” she wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.