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BANGKOK: At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured after a freight train collided with a tour bus near Bangkok on Sunday (October 11), authorities said.
The collision occurred around 8 a.m. (9 a.m. Singapore time) at Khlong Khwaeng Klan Station in Chachoengsao province, about 50 kilometers east of the capital Bangkok.
About 60 passengers on the bus were heading to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony marking the end of Buddhist Lent, a district police chief said.
The bus was on the track when the train crashed, the province’s disaster management agency said. There was no barricade, he added.
Provincial Governor Maitree Tritilanond told reporters that some 29 people have been injured so far.
The number of casualties and injuries is expected to increase.
Bus passengers were heading to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony marking the end of Buddhist Lent. (Photo: AP)
The collision occurred at Khlong Khwaeng Klan station in Chachoengsao province, about 50 kilometers east of the capital Bangkok. (Photo: Twitter / Ruamduay)
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.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident, said the Chachoengsao Office for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
Thailand has the second highest traffic fatality rate in the world, according to a 2018 World Health Organization report (Photo: Twitter / Ruamduay).
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 their vacations in northeast Thailand ran off the road and crashed into a tree.
