Several people killed after construction crane falls on a passenger train
Panarat Thepgumpanat And Panu Wongcha-um
Updated ,first published
At least 25 people died and approximately 80 people were injured when a train derailed and a construction crane fell on three wagons in northeast Thailand.
The train was passing through the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, when the accident occurred. Police said the plane was heading from the capital to Ubon Ratchathani province.
Local police told Reuters that more bodies were found in the rubble that had not yet been recovered.
“Nineteen bodies have been removed, but there are still some bodies inside the train carriages that could not be removed because the crane started to slide, so the team retreated for fear of danger,” Police Colonel Thatchapon Chinnawong said by phone.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 passengers on the ship and ordered a thorough investigation.
He said those who died were in two of the three wagons that were hit by the crane.
The crane working on the high-speed railway project collapsed, hit a passing train, derailed and caught fire for a short time.
Footage shared by the ministry shows cars overturned near bushes and firefighters extinguishing the fire as smoke rises.
The elevated high-speed rail line, one of several high-speed rail lines under construction in Thailand, was being built on top of the existing railway line.
Reuters
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