32 killed as crane collapses on to passenger train in Thailand

A construction crane has fallen on to a moving passenger train in north-eastern Thailand, causing a fiery derailment that killed at least 32 people.

The crash occurred on part of a planned high-speed rail project that will eventually connect China with much of south-east Asia.

The Public Health Provincial Office said there were 32 deaths and 64 injured victims, including seven with severe injuries. There were still three passengers missing among the 171 believed to have been on board the train, it said in a statement issued as night fell.

The crane, which was being used to build an elevated part of the railway, fell as the train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province, authorities said.

Photos published in Thai media showed plumes of white then dark smoke above the scene, and construction equipment hanging down from girders between two concrete support pillars.

Rescue workers stood on top of overturned railway carriages, some of them with gaping holes torn in their sides, video from public broadcaster ThaiPBS showed. What appeared to be sections of the crane were scattered along the track.

Transport minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said he has ordered an investigation.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers. Days of heavy rainfall are believed to have been a factor in the collapse.

The elevated segment that collapsed is a part of a Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project linking the national capital Bangkok to the north-eastern province of Nong Khai, bordering Laos. The two-stage rail project is associated with an ambitious plan to connect China with southeeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

He said authorities will examine the responsibilities of both parties, and the Railway Department plans to take legal action against the contractor as a first step.

The new accident sparked outrage in Thailand because Italian-Thai Development was also directly responsible for construction on the stretch where the accident occurred.

The company, also known as Italthai, was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in the Thai capital Bangkok, which collapsed during the construction stage in March during an earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar.

About 100 people were killed in the collapse, which was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer such serious damage. Dozens of executives were indicted in connection with the disaster but none have yet been tried.

The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai’s and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was interior minister when the State Audit Building collapsed, said that the Comptroller General’s Department and Transport Ministry are responsible for blacklisting contractors, and the laws could not be amended in the brief time he was interior minister to expedite the matter.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the government was aware of the reports about the accident and had expressed condolences.

“The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of projects and personnel, and we are also learning about the situation,” he said. “At present, it appears that the relevant section is being constructed by a Thai company, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.”