PHUKET: A second person has died from smoke inhalation and three more remain in comas in ICU after passengers from Phuket were trapped inside a bus when a fire broke out.

Doctors at Phang Nga Hospital are fighting to save the lives of three other passengers who were rescued unconscious from the burning bus yesterday.

Sunisa Chookkaew, who was heading home from Phuket to Trang when she was trapped on the burning bus, has died.

Nine others are slowly recovering from injuries at the hospital.

A female passenger aged 50 died at the scene in Takua Tung yesterday, where the driver stopped to try to fix a problem with his seat.

The bus was making a regular run from Phuket to Satun.

The driver left the passengers on the bus and was attempting to fix an electrical connection on the bus when the fire broke out, and panicking passengers were unable to escape.

Onlookers helped to break down the door and windows, but it was too late for those who had been overcome by smoke.

Khun Sunisa's last Facebook post and selfie photo recorded how much she was looking forward to going home to greet her mother.

Police have charged the bus driver with dereliction of duty and manslaughter. Because he did not flee the scene, he has been granted bail of 150,000 baht.

In another multiple road fatality, five people were killed and five injured when a passenger van crashed into the rear of a truck on the Mitrapap Highway in Sung Noen district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday morning, police said.

Five people in the van died on the spot and five others were hurt.