At least 23 killed in Thai school bus inferno

By AFP
October 02, 2024
The bus affected by a devastating blaze seen on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb. — AFP/file
The bus affected by a devastating blaze seen on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb. — AFP/file 

BANGKOK: A devastating fire on a Thai school bus killed at least 23 people, police said on Tuesday after rescuers pulled children´s bodies from the charred wreckage of the vehicle.

The inferno engulfed the coach on a highway in a northern Bangkok suburb as it carried 38 children -- ranging from kindergarten age to young teenagers -- and six teachers on a school trip.

It is believed to be the deadliest road accident in a decade in Thailand, which has one of the world´s worst traffic safety records with around 20,000 fatalities a year.

“We found 23 bodies inside the bus,” Trairong Phiwpan, head of the police forensic science office, told reporters.