Driver of Thai school bus arrested after 'fleeing scene as children burned'

The driver of the school bus that burst into flames killing at least 20 pupils and three teachers was arrested for allegedly fleeing the scene as his passengers were burned alive.

Saman Chankut, 48, seen in the video wearing a white shirt with blue stripes, reportedly crashed the vehicle into a concrete barrier along Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Pathum Thani, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, at around 12:30 pm local time on October 1.

CCTV footage showed him grabbing a fire extinguisher to briefly face the inferno. However, he allegedly ran away as flames engulfed the school coach - killing at least three teachers and 20 pupils aged between seven and 15 years old.

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

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'.

He 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 claimed 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 to escape authorities.

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 riding three buses operated by Chinnaboot Tour on an educational visit to an electricity plant when the incident happened.

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.