School bus catches fire in Thailand with 25 feared dead

About 25 people were feared dead in Thailand when a school bus carrying students and teachers on a field trip caught fire on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok, with 16 passengers hospitalised, their government said.

Police could not immediately confirm the number of injuries deaths but Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters about 25 people were believed to have been killed, without elaborating.

Sixteen students and three teachers were sent to a hospital for treatment, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said, adding the causes of the incident were still be investigated.

Early images posted on social media and carried by local news outlets showed thick grey smoke pouring out of the bus, parts of which were still on fire.

The blaze was later extinguished.

Fire trucks, police and rescue vehicles were parked around the blackened vehicle, with a cluster of firefighters at the entrance.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the students were on a field trip from the province of Uthai Thani, about 250 km north of the capital.

"As a mother, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families," she said in a social media post on X.