At least 23 people, including 20 students and three teachers, lost their lives when a school bus caught fire on the outskirts of Bangkok during a field trip on Tuesday.
Sixteen students and three teachers were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment, Thai Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said, adding that the causes of the accident were being investigated.
Of the three injured students admitted to patRangsit Hospital for treatment of burns, two had to be put on ventilators, local media reports quoted doctors as saying.
The driver of the bus, identified as Samarn Chankut, fled the scene and his mobile phone was turned off, according to police. An arrest warrant will be issued for him, acting national police chief Kittirat Phanphet said.
Rescue workers said 15 of the dead passengers were primary school pupils and six were high schoolers. Six kindergarten pupils on the bus survived.
The bus was carrying 38 students and six teachers from Wat Khao Praya Sangkharam school in Lan Sak district of Uthai Thani province.
Rescuers rushed to the scene said the bus’s front left tyre had blown out, and the wheel caught fire. The driver lost control, the bus hit the median barrier and the flames rapidly spread up and through the vehicle.
A tearful Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent condolence messages to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured and said the government would cover medical costs and provide financial aid to the victims and bereaved families.
She later followed up with a visit to the hospital, where she was visibly moved by her encounters with survivors.
Local media reports quoted Dr Thanapong Jinwong, head of the Centre for Road Safety, as questioning whether there were fire extinguishers on board the coach and whether they had been used.
He said the coach had one exit in the middle and another at the back, which was closed and was too high for the children to climb through and escape.
Unconfirmed reports said the gas-powered bus had a leak. Police and the Department of Land Transport plan to investigate whether the gas installation was original or a later modification, and whether it met safety standards.