By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock
BANGKOK, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- At least 23 people, including students from the Uthai Thani province in northern Thailand, are killed after a fire engulfed their school bus on Tuesday.
Acting Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Gen. Kittharath Punpetch, said the bus, carrying 45 passengers – six teachers and 39 students – was on a field trip to Bangkok when the incident occurred in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.
Kittharath said based on eyewitnesses’ accounts and CCTV footage, the fire is believed to have been triggered by a tire explosion.
"The explosion reportedly caused a spark that ignited the gas tank and the fire spread quickly.
"The police are providing support to the affected students and their families. The bodies of the victims are being recovered,” he told a press conference on Tuesday.
Kittharath added that the police are in the process of identifying the deceased, while three teachers and 20 students remain unaccounted for.
“The bus driver has fled the scene and police are looking for him.”
He said the bodies will be sent to the Forensic Institute of the Police General Hospital, where DNA samples will be collected from family members to assist in identification.
-- BERNAMA
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