Schoolchildren were burned alive when a bus exploded in Thailand.

The coach carrying kids from the Wat Khao Phraya Sangkharam School burst into flames while driving along a road near the Zeer Rangsit shopping mall in Pathum Thani province on the outskirts of Bangkok at around 12:38 pm local time on October 1.

Dramatic footage shows flames engulfing the entire vehicle as firefighters battled to put out the inferno.

Officials said at least 10 children were killed. They said they were in Grade 3, making them around nine or ten years old.

Pictures from the scene showed their charred corpses in the burned-out vehicle. While firemen also cared for some of the children able to escape the blaze.

Rescue workers said that at least 19 out of the 42 passengers, including teachers and pupils have been rescued, while others remained missing.

The cause of the fire was under investigation and police have cordoned off the area.