Teacher in tragic Thailand bus fire found embracing her student in final moments—report
Rescuers reportedly found one of the teachers who died in the Thailand school bus fire embracing her student in their final moments.
Local newspaper Khaosod English reported that Kanokwan Sripong was among the casualties of the bus carrying six teachers and 39 students in elementary and junior high school.
The bus was traveling from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital Bangkok, for a school trip in Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces on Oct. 1.
Authorities identified 23 bodies, while 16 students and three teachers were sent to the hospital.
"The family and friends of Teacher Kanokwan Sripong are devastated to learn that she was one of the three teachers... who lost their lives in the bus fire incident," Khaosad English said in its post. "This discovery came after her mother had tried calling her but received no answer."
Sripong had just attended her graduation ceremony on Sept. 26 and took a picture with her mother, the outlet said.
Rescue workers found her body and saw she was embracing her student.
The report didn't specify Sripong's age and didn't provide other information about her.
The bus driver, identified by the police as Saman Chanput, surrendered to authorities several hours after the fire.
Chanput was charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, failing to stop to help others, and failing to report the accident.
Chayanont Meesati, deputy regional police chief, told reporters that Chanput said he was driving normally until the bus lost balance at its front right tire, hit another car, and scraped a concrete highway barrier. That caused sparks that triggered the fire.
The driver, Chayanont noted, ran to grab a fire extinguisher from another bus that was part of the same trip, but couldn't put out the fire. He ran away out of panic.
The bus company is under investigation as to whether it followed all safety standards.
Its owner Songwit Chinnaboot told public broadcaster Thai PBS that the bus was inspected for safety twice a year as required and that the gas cylinders had passed the safety standards.
Songwit said the victims' families would be compensated.
On X, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the government would take care of the medical expenses and provide compensation to them.
