A bus carrying dozens of children has crashed and burned, killing at least 25 people just outside Bangkok, Thailand.
Forty-four people were on board the bus when the crash occurred on a busy highway in Pathum Thani province Tuesday afternoon. The passenger count included 38 children and six adults.
Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that 22 students and three teachers died during the blaze.
The bus had been carrying children and teachers from the Wat Khao Sangkharam school in Uthai Thani province, around north Bangkok.
They were on a sightseeing trip, traveling through the capital to Ayutthaya, a city popular with tourists for its historic temples.
Authorities say they believe the double-decker bus suffered a burst tire, which caused sparks that came into contact with the gas tank that caused the blaze.
The motorcoach was operated by Chinnaboot Tour and powered by highly flammable compressed natural gas.
Local media report that the bus first veered into another lane, clipping a vehicle before continuing. The bus then suffered the tire failure and is said to have crashed into concrete barriers before catching fire.
Nineteen people, including 16 children and three teachers, escaped the crash and were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Three were admitted to Rangsit Hospital in Bangkok, with two in intensive care. One 7-year-old child is at risk of losing her eyesight and has suffered burns. A 9-year-old also suffered burns and remains on a ventilator, while a 14-year-old remains in hospital care after sustaining minor burns, according to authorities.
It’s not clear why some were able to flee the burning bus and others weren’t. Minister Anutin says one of the teachers on the burning bus said a door could not be opened.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said that the ministry would investigate the use of compressed natural gas, or CNG, which was used by the ill-fated bus and is commonly used to power coaches throughout Thailand.
The bus was heavily charred when swarms of police, medics, firefighters, and army personnel arrived, extracting the remaining bodies from the burned-out vehicle.
Thai police told VOA that the bodies of 20 children and three adults were still on the coach as the operation to remove them took place.
Onlookers were visibly distraught at the scene. One Thai journalist told VOA he had been sickened when he heard that children’s bodies were still on the bus.
One woman was seen crying and praying as the clean-up operation continued into the evening.
At around 6:30 p.m. local time, firefighters were attempting to tow the bus from the crash site.
The driver of the coach has yet to be found, after he reportedly fled the scene. Acting National Police Chief General Kitrat Phanphet says an arrest warrant has been issued. The bus operator is also under police investigation.
Upon learning of the crash, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a mother of two children, was visibly upset when questioned about the incident by local Thai media Tuesday. She said the government will be responsible for all medical costs and compensation for those killed.
Thailand has one of the worst road safety records worldwide and is the deadliest in Southeast Asia. Each year, road traffic accidents result in around 20,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Motorcycle accidents account for most of the deaths.
