More than 20 confirmed dead after school bus carrying students & teachers in Thailand crashes, catches fire

A school bus carrying 38 students and six teachers crashed and caught fire in Thailand.

Police initially confirmed that 22 students and three teachers have died aboard the bus, reported The Bangkok Post.

The figure has been revised to at least 23 casualties.

The identities of the deceased have yet to be confirmed.

The bus had been ferrying the students and teachers from a school in Uthai Thani province to Bangkok when the crash occurred.

Local traffic radio network Jor Sor 100 reported that the fire occurred around 12:30pm on Phahon Yothin Road, a major road that connects Bangkok and the north of Thailand.

The bus was the second of a three-bus fleet taking students to an exhibition at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Nonthaburi, and had visited History Park in Ayutthaya earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra took to X to express her condolences, saying:

"As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the injured and deceased.

The government will take care of the medical expenses and provide compensation to the families of the deceased."

Victims are all "still in shock"

The students on the bus, ranging from kindergarteners to fourth graders, are reeling from the shock of the accident.

Firefighters have been deployed to help care for the young ones.

Extensive damage

Photos posted on Facebook by the Fire & Rescue Thailand page on Facebook showed the extensive damage the fire had caused, with seats and the exterior of the bus charred and enveloped by the flames.

Cause of fire to be investigated, driver missing

The cause of fire is currently being investigated.

However, preliminary accounts from the ground, as reported by SCMP, include a rescuer who appeared on local television and shared that a tyre had burst on the highway and sent the vehicle crashing into a barrier.

Police are also looking for the bus driver who was not at the scene of the accident and has been uncontactable.

Top image from Fire & Rescue Thailand/Facebook