Bangkok, Thailand — At least 32 passengers were killed and three others remain unaccounted for after a section of a massive construction crane collapsed onto a special express train in Sikhiu district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, according to Thailand’s Public Health Ministry.
Officials said identification of several victims may take three to four days, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition in the fire that erupted after the impact. Most of the fatalities were reported from the second coach, where passengers were trapped after the carriage was crushed and engulfed in flames.
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The deadly accident occurred at around 9 a.m. when a crane being used for a high-speed rail bridge project collapsed onto Special Express 21, which was carrying 208 passengers from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani. At the time of the collision, the train was travelling at approximately 120 km per hour near Ban Thanon Kot, between Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations.
The impact caused the train to derail and catch fire, destroying three carriages. The second coach sustained the most severe damage. Firefighters and volunteers worked for hours to extract bodies from the wreckage, while emergency medical teams treated the injured and rushed them to nearby hospitals.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, accompanied by Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, visited the site to oversee rescue and relief operations and to meet injured passengers.
Authorities confirmed that the crane involved belonged to Italian-Thai Development Plc, which is executing civil works under contracts 3 and 4 of the high-speed rail project covering the Lam Takhong–Sikhiu and Kut Chik–Khok Kruat sections.
The prime minister directed the State Railway of Thailand and the contractor to provide maximum compensation and assistance to victims and their families, including additional financial support. He also ordered a review of compensation measures and stressed that the contractor must share responsibility for relief and rehabilitation efforts following one of the deadliest construction-related rail disasters in the country’s history.
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