By: Aliya Koshalieva

Media Production Editor

On Oct. 1, a bus from Thailand’s Uthai Thani province carrying teachers and their students caught fire, killing 23 people. Out of the 45 passengers on the bus, six of them were teachers, and the remaining 29 were either elementary or junior high students. 

According to Acting Police Commissioner Kitrat Phanphet, the bus caught fire due to the right front tire exploding and the driver losing control and crashing into the roadside barrier. This incident occurred around noon in the Pathum Thani Province, the northern suburb of Thailand’s capital. Due to the intensity of the flames, few people escaped: 16 students and three teachers, while the remaining 23 passengers died in the fire. First responders put out the fire in less than an hour but had to wait hours to board the bus since the heat inside the vehicle could have caused more explosions. Authorities later reported that two children died in hospital care. 

According to Piyalak Thinkaew, a rescuer from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, first responders found most of the bodies in the middle and back of the vehicle, leading them to assume the fire started in the front of the bus and the victims moved back to avoid the flames. The police said they would charge the bus company and any individuals involved if there is evidence against them. 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who started her term in August, was overcome with emotion during a press conference at the Government House and burst into tears. Shinawatra posted on the social media platform X, offering her condolences and pledging the government would cover all medical expenses. Later, she visited the injured victims in the hospitals.  

On Oct. 2, the bus driver surrendered himself to Thai police, who later identified him as Saman Chanput. The police charged him with reckless driving, causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others, and failing to report the accident. Chanput claimed the bus lost balance on its front right tire, causing it to hit another car and scrape a concrete highway barrier, which caused the sparks that led to the fire. He then ran to grab a fire extinguisher but fled because the flames were too strong. 

Loved ones of the victims and Buddhist monks waited past midnight for forensic officers to receive the bodies, which were transported in large convoys. The monks received the bodies at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam, the temple in the students’ hometown. The temple hosted a mass cremation ceremony on Oct. 8, with monks and mourners weeping at the ceremony. 

According to the World Health Organization, around 20,000 people die annually in road accidents in Thailand. The tragedy sparked outrage across the nation, with citizens criticizing the safety of the roads and vehicles, noting Thailand’s notorious traffic-related accidents.

(Sources: Associated Press, CNN, NPR)