A tire blowout caused a natural-gas-powered school bus to crash and burn in Thailand, killing 23 of 44 passengers, most of them children.
Key Facts
- Total passengers
- 44
- Students on board
- 38
- Teachers on board
- 6
- Total deaths
- 23
- Student deaths
- 20
- Survivors
- 19 (16 students, 3 teachers)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The right front wheel's tire exploded while the natural-gas-powered bus was traveling on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, causing the driver to lose control. The bus struck a roadside barrier, and a fire ignited in the lower section of the vehicle where the gas fuel system was housed.
On 1 October 2024, a bus carrying 38 school students and 6 teachers crashed and caught fire on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Khu Khot, Lam Luk Ka District, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. The blaze engulfed the vehicle before all occupants could escape.
Twenty-three passengers died, including 20 school students ranging from pre-school to middle school age and 3 teachers. Sixteen students and 3 teachers managed to escape. The disaster prompted public scrutiny over the safety standards of school transport vehicles and the use of natural gas fuel systems in buses.