UPDATE: Students treated for smoke inhalation, shock, after school bus blaze

Five people have been taken to hospital after the school bus they were travelling on went up in flames.

The 61 students and three staff from Maroochydore State High School were on an excursion when the bus caught alight on the Bruce Highway at Tanawha on the Sunshine Coast about 12.50pm (AEST) today.

The bus driver was able to get to the side of the road and evacuate his passengers just moments before the bus became a fireball.

They could only watch as the bus they were on melted before their eyes.

Three students have been treated for smoke inhalation and others for shock.