Fire on a sightseeing bus; initial death toll exceeds 20

Many rescue workers and Ruamkatanyu Foundation officers inspected the wreckage of a school bus from Uthai Thani Province that caught fire. They found more than 20 dead bodies gathered at the back of the bus. Anutin stated that the fire on the bus carrying students from Wat Khao Phraya School on a field trip was caused by a tire exploding, causing sparks to engulf the bus. Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul traveled to inspect the scene of a school bus fire in Uthai Thani Province. He told reporters that from the initial investigation and questioning of witnesses, it was reported that while the bus was heading to Bangkok, when it reached the scene of the incident, a tire exploded, causing sparks. After that, the fire spread to the bus. During that time, the driver and about 5-6 teachers in the bus tried to help open the door and get some of the children out. Mr. Anutin said that the number of dead is still unclear. Initially, it was reported that there were 10 children, but when rescue workers went up to investigate, they found that there were more. In addition, checking the names of students, officials, teachers, drivers and children, it is estimated that there were about 25 deaths or maybe more. Initially, there were 8 injured people, 2 of whom were taken to Rajavithi Hospital, 6 to Thanyaburi Hospital and 2 to Rangsit Hospital. Source: Thai News Agency