At least eight people were killed and 32 others injured in Bangkok after a freight train struck a bus at a rail crossing, rescue officials and a deputy transport minister have said. The collision occurred near the airport rail link’s Makkasan station, with fire breaking out and engulfing the bus and nearby vehicles, including cars and motorcycles.
The deputy transport minister, Siripong Angkasakulkiat, said preliminary reports indicated the bus had stopped on the tracks at a red light, preventing the crossing barriers from closing. The train, which was transporting containers, was unable to stop in time to avoid the collision. All eight fatalities were on the bus, he confirmed.
A witness, motorcycle taxi driver Wanthong Kokpho, told Reuters: “The bus was stuck at a red light, so it couldn’t move. Cars were also blocked and unable to move forward. The fire broke out immediately … If this had been a normal working day, the damage would have been much worse.”
Firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene, working to pull injured victims from the wreckage and battling the blaze with water hoses. Officials said the fire was brought under control, and crews were cooling the area and continuing to search for victims. Authorities are investigating the cause of the incident.
Thailand’s roads rank among the world’s deadliest, according to the World Health Organization, due to weak enforcement of safety standards.
