At least 32 people have died and 66 others have been injured after a construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in north-eastern Thailand, authorities confirmed.
The falling crane caused the train to derail and crushed several carriages, one of which caught fire. Among the injured are a one-year-old child and an 85-year-old adult. Officials said seven people remain in critical condition.
Authorities reported that approximately 171 passengers were on board the train at the time of the incident, which occurred at around 09:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
The State Railway of Thailand has launched a formal investigation into the crash and announced it is pursuing legal action against the construction company responsible for operating the crane.
Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited issued a statement expressing regret over the incident and said it would provide compensation and assistance to the families of those who were killed or injured.
The train had been travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province in north-eastern Thailand when the accident happened. Many of the passengers were students and workers commuting to schools and workplaces in other districts.
According to local news outlet The Nation, the crane was lifting a large concrete segment at the time of the accident. The concrete section fell onto the passing train, causing multiple carriages to derail.
One survivor, train staff member Thirasak Wongsoongnern, told local media that passengers were thrown into the air when the crane struck the train.
Eyewitness Maliwan Nakthon told BBC Thai that she saw the crane collapse in real time. “Small pieces, like fragments of concrete, began falling first,” she said. “After that, the crane slowly slid down and hit. It struck hard, then came down and crushed the train.”
“The entire incident took less than one minute,” she added.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is scheduled to visit the crash site later on Wednesday, said that accountability is essential.
“Someone must be punished and held responsible,” Anutin said. “Accidents like this only happen because of negligence, skipped procedures, deviations from design, or the use of improper materials.”
The crane was part of construction work on an elevated railway line connected to a US$5.4 billion (£4 billion) China-backed infrastructure project aimed at linking Bangkok with neighbouring Laos. A Chinese-built high-speed rail line already runs from Laos to south-western China.
The project, officially known as the Bangkok–Nong Khai High-Speed Rail Development for Regional Connectivity, lists Italian-Thai Development Company as the contractor responsible for the Lam Takhong–Sikhio section, where the collapse occurred.
The State Railway of Thailand confirmed it has filed a lawsuit against the company. Initial estimates place the cost of damage to the train carriages alone at more than 100 million baht (US$31 million).
Italian-Thai Development is one of Thailand’s largest construction firms. The company was also responsible for a Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed during an earthquake last March. In connection with that incident, the company’s president, along with several designers and engineers, were charged with professional negligence last year. Some of those charged have denied any wrongdoing.
China’s embassy in Thailand said that no Chinese construction firms or workers were involved in the crane collapse, according to reports from Chinese state media.
Thailand has experienced numerous deadly construction accidents in recent years, partly due to weak enforcement of safety regulations.
In 2023, eight people were killed and four injured when a freight train collided with a pickup truck at a railway crossing in eastern Thailand.
Over the past seven years, approximately 150 people have died in multiple accidents linked to a road improvement project stretching from Bangkok to the southern part of the country.
