By Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, Thailand
Catholic schools have expressed sorrow and offered condolences to the families of the students and teachers who lost their lives in a tragic bus fire on Tuesday in Thailand.
“Some Catholic schools have canceled the activities and trips planned for this month, while others have postponed them indefinitely,” said Fr Paul Ekarat Homprathum of the Catholic Education Council of Thailand.
The bus, which was carrying six teachers and 39 elementary and junior high school students from Uthai Thani province, about 300 kilometers north of Bangkok, was en route to Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi provinces for a school trip on Tuesday.
The fire broke out while the bus was traveling on a highway north of Bangkok and spread so rapidly that many passengers were unable to escape.
The bus that caught fire killed 23 students and teachers in suburban Bangkok. Families arrived in the capital on Oct 2 to help identify the victims.
Initial reports said that some of the victims were trapped inside the bus because of malfunctioning emergency doors. Rescuers later discovered the bodies of three teachers found embracing their students in a final, desperate attempt to shield them from the flames.
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