At least 19 killed as construction crane crushes Thai passenger train, derailing three cars
At least 19 people were killed in northeastern Thailand when a construction crane collapsed onto a passing passenger train, derailing three carriages and sparking a brief fire, authorities said.
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The crash occurred in Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. The train had departed the capital and was bound for Ubon Ratchathani province in the country’s far east.
Local police said more bodies remained in the wreckage and had yet to be retrieved, indicating the death toll could rise. Authorities did not immediately release details on the number of injured.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that 195 passengers were on board when the crane toppled. Those killed were in two of the three carriages struck by the falling equipment, he said, adding that he had ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
Images shared by the Transport Ministry showed multiple carriages overturned beside shrubland and scorched by fire, as firefighters doused lingering flames and smoke billowed above the twisted metal. Rescue workers were seen climbing through shattered windows and along the embankment to reach survivors.
The crane was operating on an elevated high-speed rail line being built directly above the existing track. As it collapsed, it struck the train below, officials said, causing it to leave the rails and ignite briefly before crews contained the blaze.
Nakhon Ratchasima, a major gateway to Thailand’s northeast, sits along one of the country’s busiest rail corridors. The crash underscores the complexity and risks of constructing elevated infrastructure over active lines, an approach Thailand has adopted at several sites to keep rail traffic moving while it upgrades its aging network.
The Transport Ministry did not specify what caused the crane to fail or whether work had been halted on the high-speed rail segment involved. Investigators are expected to review site safety protocols, equipment maintenance records and coordination between construction crews and rail operations.
Thailand has embarked on multiple rail modernization projects in recent years, including elevated and high-speed links intended to reduce travel times and expand capacity. The lines often parallel or overhang legacy routes, requiring tight safety controls and real-time communication between construction teams and railway dispatchers.
In Sikhio, emergency services continued recovery and clearance operations into the evening. Wrecked carriages lay on their sides, some windows blown out, others ripped free of their frames. The scene stretched along a bend of track bordered by scrub and low trees, where investigators marked debris and mechanical components scattered by the impact.
Phiphat said the ministry would release further details as they become available and pledged accountability once the investigation determines how the crane came to collapse at the moment a passenger train was passing beneath it.
Passenger services along the route were expected to be affected as wreckage removal and inspections proceed, though authorities did not immediately announce a timeline for restoring full operations.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
