Bangkok, Thailand — A tragic fire engulfed a school bus on the outskirts of Bangkok on Tuesday, killing up to 25 people, most of them students, and casting a stark light on Thailand’s perennial road safety issues. The bus, carrying 44 passengers including students and teachers from a local school in Uthai Thani, was on a school trip when it met with disaster.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her grief over the incident, confirming the fatalities and extending her condolences to the families of the victims. The incident occurred shortly after midday when a tire burst caused the bus to slam into a roadside barrier and quickly catch fire.
Initial reports from the scene reveal that 38 students and six teachers were aboard the doomed bus. Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit stated that while 19 individuals were rescued, including three teachers and 16 students, the fates of many others remain uncertain as rescuers continued their grim task.
Eyewitnesses described harrowing scenes of the vehicle being rapidly consumed by flames under an overpass, with dense black smoke billowing into the sky. Rescue efforts were complicated and somber, with workers placing screens around the site as they began the daunting task of recovering bodies from within the charred wreckage.
Piyalak Thinkaew, a spokesperson for the rescue team, noted the tragic positioning of the victims. “Many of the bodies were found at the back of the bus, where the children instinctively fled from the fire at the front,” he explained at the scene. The severity of the burn injuries made immediate identification difficult.
The tragedy has also highlighted the brutal injuries suffered by those who escaped the inferno. Local media reported that several children suffered severe burns to their faces and eyes, and are currently receiving medical treatment.
The accident, while devastating, shines yet another spotlight on Thailand’s poor road safety record, which ranks among the worst globally. Despite ongoing campaigns for safer roads, the country continues to see high rates of traffic-related fatalities, primarily attributed to unsafe vehicles and prevalent reckless driving behaviors.
Statistically, Thailand experiences a high incidence of road fatalities, with an estimated 20,000 deaths annually, as per data from the World Health Organization. This staggering figure represents significant human and economic losses, estimated to surpass three percent of the nation’s GDP annually.
The aftermath of the fire left the community and the nation in shock, with ongoing investigations likely to probe deeper into the causes and possible preventions for such future tragedies. The event underscores an urgent need for comprehensive reforms in road safety standards and enforcement in Thailand.