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25 Students and Teachers Dead in Bangkok School Bus Fire
A catastrophic fire engulfed a school bus in Thailand on Tuesday, resulting in a potential death toll of up to 25 people, including children and teachers. The Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed condolences to the victims' families amidst this devastating tragedy.
The bus, one of three transporting 44 students and teachers from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam school in Uthai Thani, was en route for a school trip when disaster struck. Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit reported that while the number of fatalities remains uncertain, 25 individuals are still unaccounted for. "Of the 44 on board—38 students and six teachers—three teachers and 16 students managed to escape," he confirmed.
The incident occurred around 12:30 PM (0530 GMT) on a highway in a northern suburb of Bangkok, when a tire burst caused the bus to crash into a barrier before erupting in flames. Eyewitness footage showed the bus engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke rising into the sky.
Rescue teams erected screens to shield firefighters and investigators as they began the grim task of recovering bodies from the charred wreckage. "Some of the bodies we rescued were very small; they were likely very young," said Piyalak Thinkaew, who is leading the search operation. He noted that the fire originated at the front of the bus, with many children instinctively trying to escape to the back.
Doctors reported that some of the injured children suffered severe burns to their faces, mouths, and eyes.
Prime Minister Shinawatra shared her grief on social media, stating, “As a mother, I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the injured and deceased.”
Witnesses described the chaos as smoke billowed from the burning bus. Meechai Sa-ard, a local motorbike taxi driver, recalled hearing the commotion from a kilometer away: “There was smoke everywhere. Poor children. I hoped for rain to extinguish the fire and save them.”
While the fire has been extinguished, rescuers faced delays as they waited for the bus to cool before conducting searches for bodies. Thailand's road safety record is among the worst in the world, with high rates of traffic fatalities attributed to unsafe vehicles and reckless driving. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 20,000 people die on Thailand's roads each year, equating to more than 50 daily.
The economic impact of traffic-related deaths and injuries was estimated at $15.5 billion in 2022, accounting for over 3% of the country’s GDP.