LAN SAK, Thailand: Thousands gathered in central Thailand on Tuesday (Oct 8) to mark the last rites for 20 schoolchildren and their three teachers killed in a bus inferno last week.
The students had been returning from a school trip when their coach burst a tyre, crashed into a highway barrier just north of the capital Bangkok and erupted into flames.
Devastated families gathered early on Tuesday at the school in Uthai Thani province where the victims studied and worked - and where families had expected the bus to return safely.
A marching band played solemnly in the rain as royal palace staff carried the coffins onto traditional funerary carriages.
Parents dressed in black escorted the caskets carrying their childrenmnlwin casino, placing portraits and toys beside them.
Mourners gather on Oct 8, 2024, to witness the cremation ceremony for the victims of a school bus fire in Thailand. The ceremony marks the last Buddhist funeral rites at Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School in Uthai Thani. (Photo: AFP/Lillian Suwanrumpha)