A tragic accident occurred outside Bangkok as a school bus, transporting pupils back from a trip to northern Thailand, crashed and caught fire, resulting in the deaths of 20 children and three teachers.
The incident took place when the bus, returning to the Thai capital, collided with a concrete barrier on a highway just north of the city after a front tyre burst.
Videos from the scene showed the bus engulfed in flames under an overpass, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.
The driver initially attempted to extinguish the fire but fled the scene shortly after. Local media reports that he later surrendered to police 100km (61 miles) north of Bangkok.
Witnesses described the fire as intense, rapidly consuming the bus and leaving many passengers unable to escape. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but investigations are underway.
Of the 23 people who lost their lives, Piyalak Thinkaew, the search team leader, explained the difficulty of identifying the victims due to the extent of the burns.
“Some of the bodies we found were very, very small,” he said. The fire reportedly started at the front of the bus, forcing children to move toward the back, where most of the bodies were found.
Forensic police confirmed that of the 23 victims, 11 were male, 7 female, and 5 remain unidentifiable. Meanwhile, 19 children and three teachers survived the incident, with 16 individuals currently being treated in hospital for their injuries.
Thailand’s Transport Minister, Suriyahe Juangroongruangkit, expressed concern over the fuel used in the bus, revealing it was powered by compressed natural gas, which he described as “extremely risky.”
He added, “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 has one of the highest road fatality rates globally, with unsafe vehicles and poor driving contributing to around 20,000 deaths annually.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that an investigation into the crash was underway, saying, “We have to investigate the trace of driving from the tire marks, the burning trace, and CCTV footage.”
The ages of the children on board have not yet been confirmed, though the school caters to pupils aged 3 to 15.
