(Image source from: Nationthailand.com)

On the outskirts of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, a bus carrying dozens of elementary school students collided and caught fire. Sixteen children and three teachers were reported to have fled, but 22 students and three teachers were still missing, the country's transport minister said. The Thai prime minister said there were "casualties" in the incident, but the exact number of casualties had not yet been confirmed. Photos show that the bus was completely destroyed in the fire. According to local media, investigators were unable to enter the vehicle due to the heat. Eight of the 19 people who fled were taken to the hospital for treatment, health ministry officials said. The bus was one of three children and a teacher returning from a school trip in the northern province of Otay Thani. Transport Minister Suriyahe Juangrunruangkit said the bus ran on “very dangerous” compressed natural gas. Soraya told reporters at the scene: "This is a very sad incident."

The Ministry should take measures to ban the use of this type of fuel if possible, as this type of fuel is very dangerous. “As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” said Petuntan Shinawatra. He added: "The government will be responsible for all medical costs and compensation of the deceased." Piarak Ting Keo, who is leading the search, said the bodies of the dead were so badly burned that it was difficult to identify them. He told reporters at the scene: "Some of the bodies we found were very small and the fire started at the front of the bus." "The children instinctively tried to run backwards so the body was there," he said. In footage broadcast on local television, rescue workers said the bus was traveling on the expressway to Bangkok when a tire burst and it crashed into a guardrail.

Video images from the scene show that the bus caught fire under the overpass and was engulfed in flames, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Speaking to reporters at the scene, Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnweerakul said the driver had fled the scene but officials were confident he would be tracked down. The ages of the children in the vehicle are unknown, but the students range in age from 3 to 15. Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world: around 20,000 people die every year due to unsafe vehicles and impaired driving.