Hundreds of schoolchildren fled as crop burning smoke engulfed a school in Thailand.

Footage shows the panicked pupils running away as the air pollution enveloped the Soi 3 Sai 4 Say School in Lopburi province on February 20.

A huge blaze on a sugar cane field had spread near the school's fence, prompting teachers to suspend classes and evacuate all of the students.

Residents assisted by blocking traffic to allow the kids to safely cross the road.

Dozens of students were reportedly injured during the stampede as they bumped into each other, while those with respiratory illnesses were rushed to a hospital.

Firefighters from the Khok Tum Subdistrict were dispatched to contain the fire.

Mod, a teacher at the school, said the pupils and staff were shocked by the chaotic incident.

She said: 'Thankfully, the fire was contained before it could reach the school kitchen, where many gas cylinders are stored.

'I've heard the owner of the sugarcane farm has filed a report.

'I want to appeal to government officials to prevent sugarcane plantation owners and villagers from setting fire to fields. The pollution affects everyone in the community.'

Monks at the Wat Si Wattanawas temple nearby also had to evacuate due to smoke inhalation risks.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land to clear waste crops - a process known as shash and burn - due to it being cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

They warned hospitals in December 2023 to prepare for an influx of patients.

It came as researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, also discovered that long-term exposure to particulate matter PM.25 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai, Thailand, died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health say PM 2.5 increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

While medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.