At least 20 school children dead after bus catches fire during trip in Thailand

A autobus afloat of schoolchildren has caught occurrence successful Bangkok with much than 20 feared dead, officials and rescuers person said.

The autobus was carrying 44 passengers from cardinal Uthai Thani province for a school travel successful Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces, transport curate Suriya Jungrungruengkit said.

Footage shows the autobus engulfed successful flames with immense plumes of achromatic fume pouring retired arsenic it stood connected the broadside of the road.

The students connected the autobus were reported to beryllium superior schoolhouse and young secondary schoolhouse age.

Three teachers and 20 students stay unaccounted for rescuer Piyalak Thinkaew said.

Interior curate Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet corroborate the fig of fatalities due to the fact that they had not finished investigating the scene.

He said the operator survived but appeared to person fled and could not yet beryllium found.

Rescuers and officials were capable to entree the autobus hours aft the occurrence was enactment out.

Mr Piyalak said they were inactive incapable to place the bodies, astir of which were recovered successful the mediate and backmost seats, starring them to presume that the occurrence had started astatine the beforehand of the bus.

Thai media reports and rescuers said the autobus was heading to Nonthaburi erstwhile the occurrence started astir noon in Pathum Thani province, a bluish suburb of the capital.

A rescuer astatine the country told Mr Suriya that the occurrence apt started aft 1 of the tyres exploded and the conveyance scraped against a roadworthy barrier.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered her condolences successful a station connected societal media level X, formerly Twitter, saying the authorities would instrumentality attraction of aesculapian expenses and compensate the victims’ families.

The patRangsit Hospital, which is located adjacent the scene, said successful a quality league that it had admitted 3 young girls, 1 of whom suffered burns to the face, rima and eye.

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