Fire on School Bus Going on Field Trip, 23 Estimated Dead... Thailand in Turmoil

Fire Breaks Out on School Bus Traveling on Highway
Only 21 of 44 Passengers Confirmed Escaped

A fire broke out on a school bus conducting a field trip in Thailand, resulting in an estimated 23 deaths, including students and teachers.

On the 1st (local time), local media such as AP, AFP, Reuters, Khaosod, and Thai PBS reported that around 12:30 PM, a school bus traveling on a highway in Pathum Thani Province, adjacent to the north of Bangkok, caught fire.

A fire broke out on a school bus conducting a field trip in Thailand, resulting in an estimated 23 deaths, including students and teachers.
[Photo by EPA·Yonhap News]

Suraya Jungroongruangkit, Thailand's Minister of Transport, stated, "According to initial reports, 44 people were on board, including 38 students and 6 teachers," adding, "So far, 19 people, including 16 students and 3 teachers, have escaped." Authorities later confirmed two more survivors who escaped, and reported that 23 people, including 3 teachers and 20 students, remain missing. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, also said that the 23 missing are likely deceased.

Rescue workers found more than 10 bodies near the rear door of the bus. However, the bodies were severely burned, making it difficult to accurately determine the number of fatalities, and authorities explained that identifying the victims may take time. Even after the fire department extinguished the bus fire, the intense heat delayed rescue workers from approaching the bus for several hours, during which time bodies remained inside the bus.

Rescue workers found more than 10 bodies near the rear door of the bus. However, the authorities explained that the bodies were severely burned, making it difficult to determine the exact number of fatalities, and identifying the victims may take time. Even after the fire department extinguished the fire on the bus, the intense heat prevented rescue workers from approaching the bus for several hours, during which time bodies remained inside the bus.
[Photo by Xinhua News Agency·Yonhap News]

The teachers and students who escaped the bus were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. According to authorities, the driver also survived but appears to have fled the scene. The bus was carrying students aged 6 to 15 from a school in western Uthai Thani Province to a same-day field trip in central Nonthaburi Province. According to the investigation, after the front left tire of the bus burst, the bus collided with the metal guardrail of the central divider, causing friction. Sparks generated from this friction ignited the bus’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank, starting the fire. Videos posted on social media show the bus engulfed in flames with thick black smoke billowing out. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited the injured at the hospital on the same day and announced that the government will compensate the victims' families and cover the medical expenses of the survivors.