Bangkok, Jan 14 (.) The death toll from a passenger train crash in northeastern Thailand rose to 29 on Wednesday, with 67 people injured, local media reported.
The accident occurred early on Wednesday in Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province when a large construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train, the Nation Thailand quoted authorities as saying.
The train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province and had departed from Nong Nam Khun station when it was struck by the falling crane as it approached the next station. The crane was being used for an elevated high-speed rail project linking Thailand and China, officials said.
The impact derailed at least one carriage and caused fires in several others, emergency responders said. Several carriages were crushed under the weight of the steel crane, collapsing roofs, shattering windows and severely bending the train’s metal structure.
Victims ranged in age from one to 85 years old, the public broadcaster PBS reported earlier in the day.
More than 20 passengers were initially reported injured, with several trapped inside the wreckage. The health ministry said all passengers had been evacuated from the scene by around noon local time, adding that seven of the injured were in critical condition.
The train was carrying mostly students and workers travelling for school and work in other districts, BBC Thai reported.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crane’s collapse.
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