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photo-article-logo Tuesday, 01 October 2024

School bus catches fire in Thailand, 25 on board are feared dead, government officials say

The bus was carrying 44 passengers from central Uthai Thani province to Bangkok for a school trip when the fire started around noon in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of the capital, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruengkit told reporters at the scene. Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said officials could not yet confirm the number of fatalities as they have not finished investigating the scene, but based on the number of survivors, he said 25 people are feared dead.

Reuters Published 01.10.24, 01:05 PM
Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus that was carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school, reportedly killing almost a dozen, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, October 1, 2024.
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Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus that was carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school, reportedly killing almost a dozen, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, October 1, 2024.

Reuters
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About 25 people were feared dead in Thailand on Tuesday when a school bus carrying students and teachers on a field trip caught fire on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok, with 16 passengers hospitalised, the government said.

Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus that was carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school on the outskirts of Bangkok.
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Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus that was carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Reuters

Police could not immediately confirm the number of injuries or deaths but Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters about 25 people were believed to have been killed, without elaborating.

Rescue efforts after bus burns carrying teachers and students on outskirts of Bangkok.
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Rescue efforts after bus burns carrying teachers and students on outskirts of Bangkok.

Sixteen students and three teachers were sent to a hospital for treatment, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said, adding the causes of the incident were still be investigated.

Rescue workers extinguish a burning bus carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school.
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Rescue workers extinguish a burning bus carrying teachers and students from Wat Khao Phraya school.

Reuters

Early images posted on social media and carried by local news outlets showed thick grey smoke pouring out of the bus, parts of which were still on fire.

Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus on the outskirts of Bangkok.
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Firefighters work to extinguish a burning bus on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Reuters

The blaze was later extinguished. A Reuters photographer saw fire trucks, police and rescue vehicles parked around the blackened vehicle, with a cluster of firefighters at the entrance.

Firefighter works to extinguish a burning bus on the outskirts of Bangkok.
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Firefighter works to extinguish a burning bus on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the students were on a field trip from the province of Uthai Thani, about 250 km (155 miles) north of the capital.

"As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families," she said in a social media post on X.

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