A school trip to Canada got off to a disastrous start after the party’s bus erupted in flames as it headed from the airport to the resort.

A group of Year 8 pupils from The Judd School, Tonbridge arrived at Calgary airport yesterday in Alberta, Canada, for a ski trip.

They were on the bus at around 5pm, April 2 Central Standard Time (CST) – 1am, April 3 BST – when it is believed a tyre blew out and subsequently set fire to the rest of the vehicle.

The school has confirmed 48 pupils and six staff were on the bus at the time.

As the luggage was being removed, the flames grew and slowly engulfed the whole vehicle with images showing its entire shell being burnt off the frame.

Officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Lake Louise helped to ensure all passengers got to safety and without injury.

The party of youngsters, aged 12 and 13, was taken to The Lodge at Bow Lake, ferried by police cars and ambulances, where they waited for another bus to take them to their intended destination.

Judd School headmaster Jon Woods said: “I can confirm that there was an incident on the journey from the airport to the resort.

“It appears that a tyre blowout somehow caught aflame, leading ultimately to a complete burnout of the coach.

“Thankfully, all students exited the coach in a swift fashion, while the load luggage was removed. Their personal possessions, which were in footwells, were unfortunately lost in the importance of getting all students off the coach quickly to safety.

“They progressed to the resort, with quite a delay, but a good night's sleep followed and they made it onto the slopes as planned the following morning.

“All are well, if a little more tired than would be expected even for a ski trip. I am very grateful for the calm way in which the situation was managed by my staff, which averted a potentially worse situation.”