Health minister orders urgent aid for school bus fire victims
Thailand mourns death of 10 young students in deadly school bus fire, as eight hospitalised and 19 pulled to safety
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has ordered immediate assistance for the victims of the tragic school bus fire that occurred on a Pathum Thani road on Tuesday.
According to the Pathum Thani chief public health officer, eight injured students have been admitted to two hospitals – six in Rangsit Hospital and two in Rajavithi Hospital.
The accident took place at about 12.20pm when a bus carrying some 44 primary school students and teachers from Wat Khao Phaya School in Uthai Thani’s Lan Sak district caught fire on Vibhavadi Road in Pathum Thani’s Lam Lukka district.
The fire spread quickly, trapping many of the children inside the bus. The students ranged from kindergarten to Grade 4 levels.
As of press time, the exact number of casualties remains unclear as authorities continue to examine the wreckage. Initial reports suggested 42 passengers were on board, but this figure has since been revised to 44. Nineteen people were able to escape before the bus was engulfed in flames.
Somsak expressed deep sadness over the incident and said he has instructed the public health officials to provide both mental and physical care to both the survivors and their families.
A teacher who witnessed the fire from another bus reported that students were unable to jump out of the bus because the doors could not be opened. However, he said, 19 of the 44 students and teachers could be pulled out of the burning bus in time.
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also doubles as deputy PM, arrived at the scene shortly after the accident and expressed concerns about the possibility of at least 25 victims being trapped inside the burning bus.
Meanwhile in Uthai Thani, the shocking news prompted the provincial governor to rush to the school and set up a coordination centre to provide updates to the parents of the affected students.
