At least 25 people were killed and 64 others injured after a crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand, authorities said Wednesday.
The disaster occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. According to officials, the crane was being used to build a high-speed railway line above an existing track when it fell onto a passenger train traveling on the lower line.
Footage from the scene
(Video: Reuters)
The train was en route from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani when the crane collapsed, striking several carriages.
Thailand’s Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 passengers on board at the time of the accident and that three carriages were damaged. He said all of the fatalities were in two of those carriages. The impact also triggered a fire at the scene.
Emergency crews who rushed to the site managed to bring the fire under control, but rescue teams continued to search through the damaged carriages for people who may still be trapped. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the collapse, officials said.
Images from the scene showed mangled train cars beneath the fallen crane as rescuers worked to evacuate the injured and recover victims from the wreckage.
