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At least 18 people were killed and more than 40 injured in Thailand when a freight train collided with a bus carrying passengers to a religious ceremony, authorities said.
The morning collision, about 50 kilometers east of the capital Bangkok, knocked the bus over on its side and cut off part of the roof.
There were about 60 passengers on the chartered bus traveling from neighboring Samut Prakan province to a temple in Chachoengsao.
They planned to offer yellow robes to monks, a traditional ceremony that takes place a month after the end of Buddhist Lent, a provincial spokesman told reporters.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha offered his condolences and ordered authorities to investigate the cause of the accident, a government spokesman said in a statement.
These fatal accidents are common in Thailand, which regularly tops the lists of the world’s deadliest roads, with speeding, drunk driving, and poor law enforcement – all contributing factors.
Thailand has the second highest traffic accident death rate in the world, according to a 2018 World Health Organization report.
Although the majority of the victims are motorcyclists, bus accidents involving groups of tourists and migrant workers often make headlines.
In March 2018, at least 18 people were killed and dozens injured when a bus carrying people returning from their vacations in northeast Thailand ran off the road and crashed into a tree.
Travel across the kingdom was disrupted this weekend by a major storm that hit the region, leaving roads in poor condition and some provinces inundated by large-scale flooding.
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