Thai bus fire wreckage removed from scene as police arrest driver

Police have removed the charred shell of a Thai school bus that burst into flames killing at least 20 pupils and three teachers.

Authorities closed off the Vibhavadi Rangsit Road to tow the blackened coach that crashed and caught fire in Pathum Thani, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, at around 12:30 pm local time on October 1.

Screens were put up around the wreckage as firefighters and rescue workers carried the burnt bodies of several passengers out of the vehicle.

Police said firemen continued dousing the bus as its fuel tank threatened to reignite. They added it took an hour to cut off the air brake.

It came as officials confirmed that 20 pupils and three female teachers had died in the fire and that the driver had been arrested for fleeing the scene as his passengers were burned alive.

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

The Vibhavadi Rangsit Road leading to Bangkok has been re-opened to traffic.

The bus driver, Saman Chankut, 48, allegedly fled after briefly trying to battle the inferno at the scene. He was caught hiding in his wife's house in Ang Thong province on October 1 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'.

The police chief 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.

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.