No fewer than 22 people have been reported dead on Wednesday, January 14, after a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand, triggering a derailment and fire that left dozens injured and disrupted rail services across the region.
The incident happened at roughly 9:00 am local time in the Sikhio area of Nakhon Ratchasima province, around 230 kilometres from the capital, while the train was heading from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani.
According to Al-Jazeera, the State Railway of Thailand stated that the seating arrangement showed 195 passengers, but the actual number on board may vary.
A “thorough and comprehensive investigation” into the crash’s cause was mandated by Phipat Ratchakitprakarn, Thailand’s deputy prime minister and minister of transportation. As heavy smoke ascended from the damaged carriages, emergency personnel were sent to the scene.
The train had three cars and was moving at roughly 120 km/h prior to impact, according to Thirasak Wongsoongnern, a train employee, who spoke to local media. According to Thatchapon Chinnawong, a police supervisor, “the construction crane collapsed onto a running train leaving from Bangkok.”
Cause under investigation
According to early accounts, the crane crashed onto the moving train while working on a rail construction project. According to local media, the train was struck by a concrete segment that the crane was raising when it collapsed, causing multiple carriages to derail and momentarily catch fire.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said someone must be punished and held accountable. “Accidents like this can only happen due to negligence, skipped steps, deviations from the design, or the use of incorrect materials,” he said, while noting that similar incidents had occurred on the same project in the past.
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