Bangkok: 22 people have been killed after a construction crane fell on a passenger train in Thailand.
According to a foreign news agency, an accident occurred in Sukhothai district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, where a heavy crane suddenly fell on a passing train, causing the train to derail. After the accident, a fire broke out in several carriages of the train, causing loss of life and property.
According to authorities, several people are trapped in the debris, and a rescue operation is underway to extract them. Rescue teams and relief agencies are at the scene, while the injured have been transferred to nearby hospitals.
Authorities say that there is a fear that the death toll will increase, an investigation has been launched to find out the causes of the accident.
According to a foreign news agency, the accident occurred on Wednesday in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province, where a construction crane suddenly fell on a passenger train, causing several train cars to overturn and catching fire.
According to eyewitnesses, a loud noise was heard before the accident, followed by two explosions. A local resident said that the iron structure of the crane fell on another train car, splitting that car into two parts.
The district police chief confirmed that 22 people have been confirmed dead so far, while more than 80 injured have been transferred to the hospital. According to authorities, some of the injured are in critical condition and there is a fear that the death toll will increase.
Rescue workers carried out a long operation to extract passengers from the overturned cars of the affected train, but later the rescue operations were temporarily suspended due to fears of chemical leakage.
According to officials, the train was traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani and was carrying 195 passengers. The Thai transport minister has ordered an investigation into the accident and the process of identifying the deceased is underway.
The accident occurred on a $5.4 billion project to connect Thailand with the Chinese city of Kunming via Laos via a high-speed rail network. The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
It should be noted that industrial and construction accidents have occurred in the past in Thailand, where several fatal incidents have occurred due to non-implementation of safety regulations.
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When did the previous accidents occur?
Several major tragedies have also occurred in the past that have claimed dozens of precious lives. In October 2009, a passenger train derailed due to high speed near the southern region of Kao Tao, killing seven people and injuring more than 80. The investigation revealed that the train was traveling at a high speed and the driver was unable to control it in time.
Similarly, in March 2015, two passenger trains collided at Phichit, injuring dozens of passengers. The cause of the accident was attributed to a faulty signalling system and crew negligence. After the incident, there were claims of improvements in the railway system, but the recent accident has cast doubt on these claims.
In recent years, several small-scale railway accidents have been reported in Thailand, most of which were attributed to human negligence, technical malfunctions or lack of safety measures during construction. The current tragedy is also being described as a link in the same series, which has exposed the reality of safety arrangements in large infrastructure projects.
Authorities say that a thorough investigation is being conducted into the accident and strict action will be taken against those responsible, while public circles are demanding that immediate and practical steps be taken to make the railway system safer so that such tragic incidents can be avoided in the future.
