At least 32 people have died and dozens more have been injured after a crane collapsed onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand, causing it to derail. The accident occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima province, approximately 250 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, at a construction site for a high-speed rail project backed by China.
Footage from the scene verified by Agence France-Presse showed the crane's broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wreckage below. Rescuers worked to extract passengers from the tilted carriages. The train had been travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province.
Local resident Mitr Intrpanya, 54, described hearing a loud noise followed by two explosions. '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,' he said.
The health ministry confirmed 32 deaths and 64 hospitalisations, with seven people in serious condition. The transport minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, said 195 people had been on board. The district police chief, Thatchapon Chinnawong, said the rescue operation was paused due to a chemical leak at the scene.
The crash occurred at a construction site for a $5.4 billion high-speed rail project linking Bangkok to Kunming, China, via Laos, as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called for accountability, noting that such incidents happen regularly and suggesting a blacklist for repeat-offending construction companies.
