School bus fire in Thailand claims 25 lives, sparks fuel debate

The nightmare happened on October 1 when a group of 38 children and six teachers went on a one-day trip to the Wat Khao Phraya facility in Uthai Thani province. While driving on the highway leading to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, a tire likely burst. The driver was unable to control the vehicle and collided with metal barriers. The vehicle, powered by compressed natural gas, immediately ignited.

The toll of this horrific accident is staggering. According to TVN 24, citing information from Reuters, up to 25 people died in the event, including 22 children and three adults. Some bodies were unidentifiable due to their condition. The driver's body was not found on the bus. According to some reports, he tried to extinguish the fire but eventually fled. The police are seeking him. The remaining passengers are seriously injured and are in the hospital.

Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said that the bus was powered by "extremely risky" compressed natural gas. "This is a very tragic accident," he said on the scene.

The ministry must find a solution to, if possible, ban the use of this type of fuel in passenger vehicles because it is extremely risky," he added.

Piyalak Thinkaew, who led the rescue operation, said that identifying the bodies was difficult because they were very badly burnt. "Some of the found bodies were very, very small," he said. Horrifying pictures of the accident and recordings of the bus fire in Thailand have appeared online.

An investigation into the accident in which children and teachers died is underway. The BBC reminds us that Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with dangerous vehicles and bad driving contributing to around 20,000 fatalities annually.