At least 25 people were killed and around 80 others injured after a passenger train derailed in northeastern Thailand when a construction crane fell onto several of its carriages, police said on Wednesday.
The crash occurred in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima, roughly 230 kilometres northeast of Bangkok. The train had been travelling from the capital toward Ubon Ratchathani when the crane struck three carriages, forcing the train off the tracks.
Search for victims continues
“The death toll has now reached 25, and the search for additional victims is still underway,” statement from Police Colonel Thatchapon Chinnawong.
Authorities said most of those killed were travelling in two of the three carriages directly hit by the crane. Emergency teams continued combing through the wreckage as families awaited confirmation about missing passengers.
Nearly 200 passengers on board
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said approximately 195 people were on the train at the time of the accident. He confirmed that a full investigation had been ordered to determine how the collapse occurred.
The crane was operating as part of an elevated high-speed rail project when it gave way, crashing onto the moving train. The impact caused the train to derail, and one carriage briefly caught fire before emergency crews extinguished the flames.
Rescue efforts and damage at the scene
Images released by the transport ministry showed multiple carriages overturned beside shrubland, with firefighters battling smoke rising from the wreckage. Video footage verified by Reuters captured rescue workers cutting into twisted metal to free trapped passengers, while ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
Part of the collapsed crane remained suspended by structural supports designed for the new rail line, which is being built above the existing railway.
High-speed rail project under scrutiny
The high-speed rail project is one of several major infrastructure developments underway in Thailand and is intended to connect Bangkok with northeastern provinces before extending to the border with Laos, eventually linking with rail networks leading into China.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was closely monitoring the situation and stressed the importance of safety for both projects and personnel. She noted that the section involved appeared to be under construction by a Thai company and that the cause of the collapse was still being investigated.
Thai authorities said last year that more than one-third of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima section had been completed, with the full line to Nong Khai, on the Lao border, scheduled for completion by 2030.