Crane collapse leads to 32 deaths in Thailand

A collapsed construction crane in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima Province hit a moving express train on Wednesday morning, killing at least 32 people and injuring 64 others.

The accident happened at around 9 am in the northeastern province when the Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani special express train struck the railway construction crane blocking its path, causing derailment and fires in the affected carriages, according to local news portal The Nation.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called for those responsible for the tragic crane collapse to be held accountable. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and urged that all efforts be focused on providing aid to the injured and conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.

Anutin instructed the Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn and the Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand Anan Phonimdang, to conduct an on-site investigation and oversee the immediate response.

Anutin emphasized that the incident was not just a technical failure but a serious violation of public safety. He called for all involved parties to be fully investigated and for legal and disciplinary actions to be taken.

The Bangkok Post reported that the crane first fell onto the second carriage, which had 40 passengers on board. A fire erupted, primarily in the second carriage, making escape difficult as the air-conditioned train had electrically operated automatic doors and windows that could not be opened by hand.

The tragedy happened in the section of the high-speed railway under the third and fourth contracts. The contracts were awarded to Italian-Thai Development. As of December last year, construction on these sections was nearly complete.

As of Wednesday evening, there was no official confirmation yet indicating that any Chinese citizen was involved in this tragic incident. The Chinese embassy in Thailand confirmed that no Chinese enterprises or workers were involved in the construction of the railway section.

At a regular news briefing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China has taken note of the reports concerning the accident and offered condolences to the victims and their families.

She emphasized that the Chinese government places a high priority on the safety of projects and personnel, and is actively looking into the situation. She added that the cause of the accident was under investigation.

The State Railway of Thailand and the Department of Rail Transport deployed officials to the scene after receiving the accident report. They are also conducting an investigation into how a construction crane — part of the elevated high-speed railway project — fell onto the tracks.