BANGKOK -- Around 25 people were killed and several others missing after a bus carrying passengers on a school trip in Thailand's capital Bangkok caught fire on Tuesday, senior officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the single-decker bus carrying 44 passengers on board, including six teachers and 38 students, from a school in northern Uthai Thani province became engulfed in flames shortly after midday.

Nineteen passengers were rescued from the coach and rushed to hospitals for treatment, Suriya told reporters.

In a social media post, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered her condolences to the families of the injured and deceased, assuring them that the government would pay for their medical bills and compensate those who had suffered losses as a result of the incident.