Makkasan police have charged the train driver with negligence causing death and serious injury following a fatal collision at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday.
Police say additional charges, as well as possible action against other individuals, would depend on further witness interviews and evidence collection.
Police will also question the driver of ill-fated air-conditioned bus No. 203, who was injured in the accident. Initial reports claimed he had been killed.
The crash occurred at 3.41pm on May 16th, when freight train No. 2126, travelling from Laem Chabang Port to Bang Sue, struck a bus between Khlong Tan and Makkasan stations near the Asoke-Din Daeng level crossing. The collision sparked a massive fire that engulfed the bus, killing eight passengers and injuring many more.
Police say the railway crossing guard was questioned overnight. He has not been detained, but will be summoned for further questioning.
Investigators are reviewing operational procedures and gathering further details about how the crossing was being managed at the time of the crash.
Investigators took several damaged cars and motorcycles involved in the incident Makkasan police station for forensic examination and insurance processing.
Traffic in the area resumed shortly before midnight, after the State Railway of Thailand removed the damaged locomotive and container wagons from the scene overnight.
The train was taken to the Makkasan maintenance depot, while the damaged bus was moved to the Rama IX depot.
Bangkok officials also cleared the area of burnt debris and twisted metal to restore both road and rail traffic.
Members of the public on Saturday morning placed white flowers near Asoke railway station as they mourned the victims.
Chaopicharn Techo, a psychologist with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Health Department, said he brought flowers because he regularly uses the crossing and had long feared such an accident could happen. He said vehicles frequently stopped across the railway tracks and admitted he himself had previously ignored the crossing barriers.
Chaopicharn said the tragedy should serve as a turning point for public awareness about road safety, blaming reckless behaviour rather than a lack of regulations for the tragedy. “Other countries strictly enforce crossing rules, unlike the behaviour often seen in Thailand,” he said.
He added that motorists appeared more cautious on Saturday morning, with no drivers seen violating the railway barriers, and he expressed hope that the costly lesson would lead to lasting behavioural change.
