At least 32 killed after crane falls on Thai train

The regional governor said that a train derailed when a construction crane fell on two wagons in northeast Thailand, killing at least 32 people and injuring 66 people.

The accident occurred in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 km northeast of Bangkok, on a train traveling from the capital to Ubon ⁠Ratchathani province.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that there were 195 people on the train and that he had ordered a comprehensive investigation.

The crane working on the high-speed railway project collapsed, hit a passing train, derailed and caught fire for a short time.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the State Railways of Thailand to provide good compensation to the families of the dead and told reporters after being briefed at the scene: “We need to investigate… and take legal action.”

Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, which signed the contract to build the railway section, expressed regret over the accident and said it would provide compensation and assistance to the families of the injured.

In March last year, a 30-storey building in Bangkok, which was being built by a joint venture including ITD, collapsed after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in neighboring Myanmar, killing 89 people.

ITD chief Premchai Karnasuta was indicted in August along with 22 others for alleged negligence and violating construction regulations.

The manager and 14 others denied the crimes when they were first arrested in May.

In the images shared by the ministry, train wagons can be seen overturned near bushes and firefighters are extinguishing the fire as smoke rises.

Earlier images of the crash scene, verified by Reuters, showed rescue workers trying to pull injured people from one of the smashed carriages, while some seriously injured passengers were already being loaded into ambulances.

The elevated high-speed railway project, one of several projects under construction in Thailand, was being built on top of the existing railway line.

Part of the collapsed crane is still supported by concrete pillars built to support the new rail link, with debris dangling over the tracks below.

The construction is part of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section of the high-speed rail project connecting Thailand’s capital with the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.

Rescue efforts at the crash site continued into Wednesday evening, and Anutin said the runway should be cleared by the end of the week.

He stated that this is a major railway route and delays will harm the regional economy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that the government attaches great importance to the safety of projects and personnel in Thailand and is investigating the situation.

“Currently, it appears that the relevant section was built by a Thai company. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.”

The high-speed railway project covering the country will connect to China via Laos.

The government said last year that more than a third of construction had been completed on the segment connecting Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, and that the entire line would extend to Nong Khai on the border with Laos and be ready by 2030.