Pope Francis deeply saddened by school bus crash in Thailand

By Vatican News 

Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the families of twenty schoolchildren and three teachers who died on October 1 in a bus fire on the outskirts of Bangkok.

20 children and 3 teachers killed in the accident

The bus was one of three carrying children from Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam school in the northern province of Uthai Thani on a field trip to a science museum in northern Bangkok.

The blaze engulfed the vehicle on a highway in a northern suburb of the Thai capital, carrying 38 children—ranging from kindergarten age to young teenagers—and six teachers.

The disaster is believed to have begun when one of the bus tyres burst on the highway at lunchtime, sending it crashing into a barrier and triggering the fire, officials said. Some of the children who survived the fire reported horrific burns on various parts of their bodies.

The funerals of the victims began on October 3.

Pope's condolences

In a telegram signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the deadly accident and that he “extends his prayers to all who are suffering the effects of this tragedy, especially the families who are grieving," while commending the souls of the deceased “to the loving mercy of the Almighty.” 

The Pope concluded his message by invoking "the divine blessings of strength, peace and consolation" upon all those affected by the tragedy.

One of Thailand's deadliest road accidents in a decade

Police have arrested the driver of the bus on suspicion of causing death by careless driving in the crash.

They are also investigating whether the compressed gas tanks fuelling the bus played a role in the blaze, which engulfed the vehicle so quickly that barely half of those on board were able to escape.

The crash is considered one of the deadliest road accidents in a decade in Thailand, which has one of the world's worst traffic safety records with around 20,000 fatalities a year.