What was supposed to be a routine morning commute turned into chaos.
On Wednesday, a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand, derailing the carriages and sparking a fire. At least 22 people were killed.
The accident happened around 9:00am local time in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
The train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani.
“A crane collapsed onto a train causing it to derail and catch fire,” provincial officials said, confirming that more than 30 others were injured.
Live television images showed a brightly coloured train lying on its side.
Smoke pouring into the sky as rescue teams raced to pull survivors from the wreckage.
Rail Project Scrutiny
According to Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, 195 passengers were on board, and authorities are still working to identify the dead.
Police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong called the scene devastating, as emergency crews battled time, fire, and twisted metal.
The crane was part of a $5.4bn Chinese-backed high-speed rail project, a flagship link under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Designed to connect Bangkok with China via Laos by 2028.
As investigators dig into what went wrong, one haunting question remains.
In the race to build the future, were basic safety checks left behind?
