Bangkok, Oct 1 (TNA) – A fire engulfed a school bus carrying students on a field trip in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok on Tuesday as 25 people mostly students were feared dead, officials said.
The double-decker bus, carrying students from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani province (about 250km north of Bangkok), caught fire near the Zeer Rangsit shopping mall on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road around noon, according to local authorities.
Of the total 44 people on board on a field trip, 6 were teachers and 38 were students. Only 19 managed to escape the burning vehicle. It is believe that approximately 25 people have lost their lives.
Firefighters battled the blaze before bringing it under control, but by then the damage was extensive. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is initially believed that the fire originated from a tire bursting, causing it to lose control and crash into the roadside barrier. This sparked a fire, and since the vehicle was running on gas, it quickly ignited.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was seen in tears after learning about the school bus fire that killed and injured many students today.
“As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the injured and deceased,” she said in a social media post on X.
She has ordered relevant deputy prime ministers to visit the scene of the accident and oversee the rescue efforts. The government will take care of the medical expenses and compensate the families of the deceased.
Among those dispatched were Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, and Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport.
Sabida Thaiseth, Deputy Minister of the Interior and a native of Uthai Thani province, was also sent to the scene. -819 (TNA)
