A tragic incident occurred in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday when a bus carrying young students and teachers caught fire, resulting in the loss of at least 23 lives, according to officials and rescuers.,Trairong Phiwpan, head of the police forensic science office, confirmed the discovery of 23 bodies inside the bus, including 20 children and three teachers, as reported by the BBC.,
The bus, which was transporting 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces, was engulfed in flames as depicted in videos shared on social media, with thick black smoke billowing from it while stationed under an overpass.,The students aboard the bus were primarily from elementary and junior high schools, and unfortunately,
the driver, though surviving, was not found at the scene, according to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.,Rescuers and officials were able to access the bus after the fire was extinguished, but were faced with the challenge of identifying the bodies, which were predominantly located in the middle and back seats, indicating that the fire likely originated at the bus’s front.,Reports from Thai media and rescuers indicated that the fire erupted around noon in Pathum Thani province, a suburb of Bangkok, while the bus was en route to Nonthaburi, possibly initiated by a tire explosion and subsequent contact with a road barrier, as suggested by a rescuer at the scene.,Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her condolences on social media, pledging governmental support for medical expenses and compensation to the victims’ families, while a nearby hospital disclosed that it had admitted three young girls, one of whom sustained burns to the face, mouth, and eye during the tragic incident.
