No fewer than 30 people have been confirmed dead after a construction crane collapsed on a passenger train travelling from Bangkok to northeast Thailand.
Thai authorities said at least 64 passengers sustained injuries in the incident, which occurred on Tuesday morning in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometres northeast of Bangkok.
The train, carrying 195 passengers, was en route from the Thai capital when the crane, used for an ongoing high-speed rail construction, fell onto the track at about 9:00 a.m. local time, causing the train to derail and burst into flames.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed that an investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the collapse.
District police chief, Thatchapon Chinnawong, told AFP that rescue operations were temporarily suspended due to a reported chemical leak at the scene.
Authorities said the crane struck the middle carriage of the three-coach train, splitting it in two, while the last two carriages suffered extensive damage.
The fire triggered by the impact has since been extinguished.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud bang followed by explosions before seeing thick smoke rising from the wreckage.
The accident occurred along a section of Thailand’s planned high-speed rail project, part of a major regional network linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
This is not the first fatal incident on the route. In August 2024, a railway tunnel under construction in the same province collapsed, killing three workers.
