Bangkok: At least 10 children were killed after a school bus caught fire outside Bangkok. According to local media, there were 25 schoolchildren were on board. According to local media, Thailand Nation, the bus, carrying 44 students and several teachers from Wat Khao Phaya School in Uthai Thani, was heading to Ayutthaya on a sightseeing trip when one of its front tyres blew out. This caused the vehicle to lose control and collide with a metal barrier and the crash sparked a fire that quickly engulfed the entire bus.
The bus was carrying 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province to Ayutthaya for a school trip when the fire started around noon in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the capital, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit told reporters at the scene.
Death toll may increase
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the number of fatalities as they have not finished investigating the scene, but based on the number of survivors, he said 25 people are feared dead. He also said the bus was still too hot for them to get inside safely. Bodies were still inside the bus hours after the fire.
Videos posted on social media showed the entire bus being engulfed in fire with huge plumes of black smoke pouring out as it was parked on the road. The age and other details about the students were not yet known.
A rescuer at the scene told Suriya that the fire likely started after one of the tyres exploded and the vehicle scraped against a road barrier. Rescue group Hongsakul Khlong Luang 21 posted on its Facebook page that they found at least 10 bodies on the bus.
(With inputs from agency)
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