Construction crane collapse derails passenger train in Thailand, killing 22; What caused it?

A construction crane collapsed onto a Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani passenger train on Wednesday morning, killing at least 22 people.

The accident caused the train to derail and catch fire in Ban Thanon Khot, Si Khiew District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province in Thailand.

About 55 people were also injured in the accident. The train had at least 200 passengers on board. 

The crane was part of a double-track railway project construction in Ban Thanon Khod, Moo 11, Si Khiew Subdistrict, Si Khiew District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The construction was being done above an already existing railway track.

Police officers rushed to the scene along with rescue workers. They found that the train's three carriages were severely damaged, and the second carriage was engulfed in fire.  7 people were initially reported dead. Many of the passengers were reportedly school children.

Many passengers were still trapped inside carriages as authorities arrived at the scene. The rescue team used hydraulic cutters to help passengers out of the wreckage and they were taken to nearby hospitals.

Eyewitnesses told local news media that the train was traveling through the construction site when the crane vehicle malfunctioned and fell on top, causing a loud bang. The debris from the crane then fell onto the train, and the second and third carriages became entangled with the crane cable, which caused the derailment.

Construction workers on the site said that the crane broke just as the train was approaching.

Prof. Dr. Amorn Pimanamas, President of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, who spoke to Thansettakij, said that the part that fell on the train was a support structure of the crane. The cause of the crane’s collapse has not been determined.

Site where a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province | X

Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport Pipat Ratchakitprakarn asked the Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to visit the site immediately. He also asked that the ministry of transport utilise social security funds to compensate the passengers.