Crane Collapse Derails Train in Thailand, at Least 19 Killed

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Bangkok: At least 19 people were killed and around 80 injured after a passenger train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday when a construction crane collapsed onto three of its carriages, police said.

The accident occurred on Wednesday morning in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometres northeast of Bangkok. The train was travelling from the Thai capital to Ubon Ratchathani province.

Police said rescue teams were still working at the scene, with more bodies believed to be trapped inside the damaged carriages.

“Nineteen bodies have been recovered, but there are still some inside the train carriages that cannot be removed yet because the crane started shifting, so the team pulled back for fear of danger,” Police Colonel Thatchapon Chinnawong said.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 passengers on board at the time of the accident and confirmed that those killed were in two of the three carriages struck by the crane. He ordered a full investigation into the incident.

Authorities said the crane was being used for construction on an elevated high-speed rail project when it collapsed onto the passing train, causing it to derail and briefly catch fire.

Images released by the transport ministry showed several train carriages overturned beside shrubland, with firefighters battling flames and smoke rising from the wreckage. The high-speed rail line under construction runs above the existing railway, officials said.