School bus fire claims 23 lives in Thailand

A relative shields a child's eyes from the wreckage of a burned bus after a fatal fire during a Thai school trip that killed up to 23 people on Oct. 1, 2024. AFP-Yonhap

SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - A tragic school bus fire in Thailand's Pathum Thani province has resulted in the presumed death of 23 students and teachers. The Thai government announced that the incident occurred Tuesday on a highway north of Bangkok, where a bus carrying 44 passengers, including 38 students and 6 teachers, caught fire during a field trip.

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that the 23 missing individuals are likely deceased. Rescue workers discovered over 10 severely burned bodies near the rear door of the bus. The intense heat delayed access to the vehicle for several hours after firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit reported that 21 passengers, including 18 students and 3 teachers, managed to escape. The driver survived but fled the scene and is currently unreachable.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the injured survivors in the hospital and announced that the government would compensate the victims' families and cover treatment costs for survivors. She expressed her condolences on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "As a mother, I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of the injured and deceased."

AJP