Thailand: Several killed as crane falls on passenger train

The train was travelling from Bangkok to northeast Thailand. At least 22 people have died in the accident.

A construction crane fell on a passenger train northeast of the Thai capital Bangkok, causing it to derail and resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.

The train was travelling from Bangkok to Thailand's northeast when the accident occurred in ​the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 kilometers (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok.

At least 22 have been killed and 80 others injured injured, local police said, adding that more bodies were yet to be retrieved from the wreckage.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that 195 people were on board the train. He said he has ordered an investigation into the incident. 

Thatchapon Chinnawong, the district's police chief, later told French news agency AFP that rescue operations were being paused due to "chemical leakage" at the scene.

What do we know about the incident?

The crane was being used in building a high-speed rail network when it collapsed at around 09:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). 

The derailment occurred on part of an ambitious planned high-speed rail project that will eventually connect China with much of Southeast Asia, associated with Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.

"A crane collapsed onto a train causing it to derail and catch fire," the Nakhon Ratchasima Public Relations Department said in a statement. It said the fire had been put out.

Live footage showed rescue workers rushing to the scene, with a brightly coloured train derailed on its side as smoke billowed from the debris. Thai media reported the train had three carriages, the last two being the most damaged.

A local resident said he had heard a loud noise followed by two explosions, forcing him to rush out of his house.

"When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages. The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half," the resident said.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher