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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

School bus fire death toll rises to at least 23 in Thailand

Firefighters and rescue workers inspect a burnt-out bus that was carrying students and teachers on the outskirts of Bangkok, on October 1, 2024. A devastating fire tore through a Thai bus carrying 44 students and teachers on a school trip on Oct. 1, 2024, officials said, with up to 25 feared dead.  (Manan Vatsyayana/Getty Images of North America/TNS)
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BANGKOK — The death toll from a school bus fire in Thailand has risen to at least 23, local media reported on Wednesday.

Some 38 pupils aged between six and 15 and six teachers were on their way from Uthan Thani province to Bangkok, 200 kilometres south-east of the Thai capital, when a blast occurred on the bus on Tuesday.

Twenty children and three teachers were killed, while several other children were seriously injured.

According to broadcaster ThaiPBS World, most of the victims were burned beyond recognition. DNA samples were taken from relatives in order to identify those killed.

The driver of the bus initially fled the scene after he was unable to control the flames with an extinguisher, the Kahosod newspaper reported, citing police.

The driver had confirmed eyewitness statements that a burst tyre was responsible for the accident, local media reported. The bus then drifted into another lane, hit a car and scraped along the guardrail.

Reports suggested the emergency exit of the bus could not be opened. The bus company responsible had had its license temporarily revoked, reported the newspaper The Nation.

Road accidents are common in Thailand, which according to the World Health Organization has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world, with motorcyclists accounting for most of these deaths.