At least 32 passengers on the ill-fated special express train were killed and three others remain unaccounted for after a section of a massive crane working on the high-speed rail project fell onto it in Sikhiu district of Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Identification of some victims is expected to take three to four days, as their bodies were burned beyond recognition in the fire triggered by the impact on the Ubon Ratchathani-bound train, the ministry said.
Most of the victims were trapped inside the second coach, which was engulfed in flames and crushed.
The construction accident, one of the deadliest in the country’s history, occurred at around 9am when a crane, lifting components for a high-speed rail bridge, collapsed onto the Special Express 21, which was carrying 208 passengers from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Ubon Ratchathani.
The train was near Ban Thanon Kot, between Nong Nam Khun station and Sikhiu stations, travelling at approximately 120 kilometres per hour.
The impact derailed the train, which then caught fire, destroying the three carriages, with the second coach suffering the most severe damage.
Firefighters and volunteers extracted bodies from the debris, while EMTs treated injured passengers and transported them to nearby hospitals.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, accompanied by Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, travelled to the site to monitor relief operations and visit the injured.
PM Anutin Charnvirakul visits the accident site in Nakhon Ratchasima's Sikhiu district.
The crane involved belonged to Italian-Thai Development Plc, which is carrying out 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 ordered the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the contractor to provide maximum compensation and assistance to victims and affected families, including additional financial aid.
He also instructed the SRT to review and increase compensation measures, while ensuring that the contractor shares responsibility for relief and rehabilitation efforts.
