Around 25 people were feared dead in Thailand on Tuesday when a school bus transporting students and teachers for a field trip caught fire near Bangkok, the capital. The government reported that 16 passengers were hospitalised.
While police were unable to immediately confirm the exact number of casualties, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that approximately 25 people were believed to have died, though he provided no further details.
According to Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, 16 students and three teachers were taken to a hospital for treatment, with investigations into the cause of the fire still ongoing.
Early social media posts and local news coverage showed thick grey smoke rising from the bus, parts of which remained ablaze. The fire was later put out.
A Reuters photographer captured images of fire trucks, police, and rescue vehicles surrounding the charred bus, with firefighters gathered at the scene.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated that the students involved in the tragedy were on a field trip from Uthai Thani province, roughly 250 km (155 miles) north of Bangkok.
“As a mother, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families,” she shared in a post on X.
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