As Thailand grieves 23 deaths in bus blaze, spotlight returns to grim accident record

The incident, which involved a 50-year-old bus, has prompted calls for stricter regulations and safety measures to prevent similar tragedies

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Rescuers work at the site of a bus that caught fire, carrying young students with their teachers, in suburban Bangkok on Ocober 1. Photo: AP

Published: 4:26pm, 2 Oct 2024Updated: 12:57pm, 3 Oct 2024

Thailand’s appalling road safety record has again been thrust into the spotlight as a stunned nation grieves for the 20 schoolchildren – and three teachers – who died in a fire after gas tanks ignited on a 50-year-old bus carrying them into Bangkok.

Following the incident, all field trips across the country were suspended, as authorities vowed to conduct a thorough probe into why the single-decker bus, carrying 44 pupils and teachers, quickly caught fire after a tyre burst on Tuesday, leaving passengers trapped inside.

Forensic authorities worked on Wednesday to identify the remains of the child victims of an accident which has stunned Thailand anew, yet raises old questions of why the country has one of the world’s highest road death rates.

Heartbreaking details have emerged about the tragedy, with reports of primary school pupils being unable to escape from emergency doors and cowering at the back of the bus, or in the arms of young teachers, as the blaze consumed the vehicle.

One inconsolable pupil, whose younger brother died on the bus, returned late on Tuesday night to his hometown of Uthai Thani, northern Thailand, repeatedly crying “he didn’t come back with me” as his mother hugged him.

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Bodies of 23 Thai school bus fire victims arrive in hometown before funerals

The bus driver initially fled the scene but handed himself in to authorities on Wednesday. He was arrested and charged with negligence and reckless driving, as ministers pledged to prevent similar accidents from happening again.