[ad_1]
BANGKOK (AFP) – At least 17 passengers were killed and more than a dozen injured on Sunday (October 11) when a bus collided with a train in Thailand, authorities said.
The collision occurred about 50 kilometers east of the capital, Bangkok, as bus passengers were heading to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony marking the end of Buddhist Lent, a district police chief said.
“The death toll we have so far is 17,” the police officer said, adding that the accident happened around 8 in the morning.
Provincial Governor Maitree Tritilanond told reporters that some 29 people have been injured so far.
The first images of rescuers showed twisted metal and debris, with bodies lying next to the train tracks and people’s belongings strewn about.
The bus tipped over on its side, the top broke, and rescuers said a crane was needed to lift it.
The number of casualties and injuries is expected to increase.
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.
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, Thailand has the second highest traffic fatality rate in the world.
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 a vacation in northeast Thailand ran off the road and crashed into a tree.
[ad_2]
