Thai police on Wednesday said they were investigating whether the school bus fire that killed 23 young students and teachers in suburban Bangkok was caused by negligence after filing initial charges against the driver.

BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested the driver of a bus carrying young students and teachers that caught fire and killed 23 in suburban Bangkok, as families arrived in the capital on Wednesday (Oct 2)

The driver of the bus allegedly fled the scene of the crash before being arrested by police several hours later.

Video and images from the devastating bus fire show rescuers surrounding the scorched vehicle as it lay under an overpass near the country's capital, Bangkok.

Thai police are investigating whether the school bus fire that killed 23 young students and teachers in suburban Bangkok was caused by negligence after filing initial charges against the driver.

"Such an incident causes a great sorrow and grief," he told reporters at a news conference. "There is no way we will distort the fact or help anyone" escape justice, Kitrat said and added that 16 students were treated for minor injuries and been sent home while three others were hospitalized.

Thai police have identified all the victims of Tuesdays school bus fire and will release the bodies of all the victims to their families on Wednesday, according to a forensics department spokesperson.

A bus carrying young students and their teachers on a school trip caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, leaving more than 20 feared dead, officials and rescuers said.