Bangkok, Oct. 1, (dpa/GNA) – More than 20 people, mostly children, have died in a fire on a school bus in Thailand, the government announced on Tuesday.
Some 38 pupils and six teachers, as well as two bus drivers, were on a school trip from Uthan Thani province to Bangkok, 200 kilometres away, when the fire broke out, the authorities said.
They said of the 46 people on board, 22 bodies have been recovered so far.
Only 19 people – 16 pupils and three teachers – were rescued alive from the bus and taken to hospital, the local rescue service was quoted as saying by the ThaiPBC World channel. Three children are being treated for severe burns, meaning the number of fatalities could rise further.
The Thai newspaper Khaosod reported that the children on the trip were between 6 and 15 years old, citing the authorities.
Khaosod also said that the driver of the bus is so far untraceable and could have fled.
Eyewitnesses and rescue workers said that a front tyre had probably exploded, causing the driver to lose control of the bus, which scraped along the road barriers and caught fire.
In a statement to journalists, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the victims. She also visited the injured children in hospital.
Other passengers told the media that they had tried to help extinguish the fire, but had to retreat. “I saw two children and a teacher flee from the bus. Their bodies were on fire,” said one eyewitness.
The bus, which was travelling in a convoy with two other buses, is said to have been gas-powered and therefore particularly susceptible to fire. The Ministry of Transport has announced that it will review the use of such vehicles.