A first-time train passenger, who survived the deadly crane accident in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, has vowed never to travel by rail again.
Surapong Singwong, who was seated in the third coach of the special express service, said he was jolted from his seat by a deafening explosion as a massive crane from a high-speed rail construction site slammed onto the train in Sikhiu district.
“The carriage was torn apart. I heard people screaming everywhere,” he said.
Surapong needed 11 stitches in a head wound, but managed to escape from the section of the train that had been severed by the impact.
He said he normally travelled home by bus, because there is no railway line running through his home district of Nang Rong in Buri Ram province.
Curious to try rail travel for the first time, he decided to board the train, planning to continue his journey by van after reaching Buri Ram.
“I even called my mother to tell her I was taking the train, because I believed it was the safest way to travel,” he said, adding “That first trip nearly cost me my life. I will never travel by train again.”
The train had departed Bangkok at 6am bound for Ubon Ratchathani. At around 9am, a crane collapsed onto it as it passed through an active construction zone, causing it to derail and burst into flames.
Teerasak Wongsungnoen, one of the crew on board, said the impact threw passengers and staff into the air before they slammed back down onto the floor.
Moments later, fire engulfed the second coach in which many passengers were trapped.
Despite being injured, Teerasak and local residents attempted to rescue the wounded, but were unable to reach those trapped in the burning carriage due to the intensity of the flames.
Meanwhile, a man posted a message of condolence on social media, saying his girlfriend was among the victims. He said she had taken the train back to
Nakhon Ratchasima to attend her father’s funeral and had shared her father’s photograph on Facebook.
Before leaving, she wrote that she loved him deeply and hopes that he rests in peace.
