At least 25 people were killed and around 80 injured after a passenger train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday when a construction crane collapsed onto the moving carriages, according to police.
The crash happened in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, on a train traveling from the capital to Ubon Ratchathani. Rescue teams continued searching the wreckage for additional victims hours after the incident.
The Thailand train derailment is one of the deadliest rail accidents in recent years and has raised urgent questions about safety around major infrastructure projects built above active rail lines.
Police Colonel Thatchapon Chinnawong said the confirmed death toll had reached 25 and could increase as search operations continued. “The death toll has now reached 25. The search for more bodies is ongoing,” he told Reuters by phone.
Footage verified by Reuters showed multiple carriages overturned beside shrubland, with smoke rising as firefighters worked to control a brief fire caused by the derailment. Rescue workers were seen cutting through twisted metal to reach trapped passengers, while ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
Thailand’s transport minister said there were 195 people on board the train at the time of the crash. Those killed were traveling in two of the three carriages struck directly by the falling crane, according to a government statement.
Authorities said the crane was operating on an elevated high speed rail project being built above the existing railway when it collapsed and struck the passing train. Part of the crane remained supported by concrete stanchions erected for the new rail line.
The project is part of Thailand’s expanding high speed rail programme, which is designed to link Bangkok with northeastern provinces and eventually connect to China through Laos. Government data released last year showed more than one third of construction was complete on the Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima segment, with the full route to Nong Khai expected to be finished by 2030.
Transport officials ordered a full investigation into the cause of the collapse, focusing on construction safety standards and coordination between rail operators and contractors.
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China’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring developments, given the rail project’s planned link to Chinese backed infrastructure.
Spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that Beijing placed great importance on the safety of overseas projects and personnel. “At present, it seems the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise,” she said, adding that the cause of the accident remained under investigation.
Meanwhile, train services along the affected route were suspended as engineers assessed damage to the tracks and overhead structures.