CCTV shows Thai school bus catching fire as 'driver flees scene while children burned'

This is the horrifying moment a Thai school bus bursts into flames killing at least 20 pupils and three teachers - as the the driver allegedly fled the scene.

Saman Chankut, 48, was seen in the video emerging out of the coach that crashed and caught fire along Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Pathum Thani, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, at around 12:30 pm local time.

He picked up a a fire extinguisher and briefly faced the inferno but then allegedly jogged away as flames rapidly ripped through the bus and burned alive those trapped incident. The children were all aged between seven and 15 years old.

Police General Kitrat Phanphet, acting national police chief, ordered officers to track down Saman for questioning. He was later arrested at his wife's house in Ang Thong province..

Police Major General Yutthana Jonkhun, commander of the Pathum Thani Provincial Police, said Saman will be face a raft of charges including 'reckless driving causing damage to persons or property', 'negligent driving causing mental or physical injury', 'causing the death of another person through negligence', 'driving on the road causing damage to people and not stopping to provide assistance', and 'failing to report to the police, causing death to others'.

The officer added: 'The driver will be interrogated and the security camera footage will be examined. The Office of Police Forensic Science will thoroughly inspect the vehicle's condition with the Department of Land Transport and relevant organisations. After reviewing all the evidence, we will determine if more charges will be filed.'

Saman told police he had tried to find a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, but ran away when he saw it grow uncontrollably. He said he panicked and fled to a relative's house.

Police Major General Chayanon Meesati, deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 1, said the charred wreckage has been towed to the National Memorial for investigation.

The heavily modified 54-year-old coach running on CNG gas bursts into flames in Pathum Thani shortly after 12:30 pm local time on October 1.

It was said to have lost control when a front tyre blew out. A fire reportedly started in the undercarriage as the vehicle hit the concrete road barriers.

Officials said the youngsters from the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani were on an educational visit to an electricity plant when the incident happened. They were aged between seven and 15 years old.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said: 'As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families.'

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.