Khaberni - At least 22 people were killed, and more than 30 others were injured, in a train accident resulting from a crane collapse on a railway line in northern Thailand, according to local authorities, today Wednesday.
A local police official in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thatchabon Chinaung, said: "22 people were killed and more than 30 were injured".
The accident occurred early on Wednesday morning, when a crane fell on the railway tracks onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of the capital Bangkok.
The Public Relations Department in "Nakhon Ratchasima" said in a statement: "A crane collapsed on the train causing it to derail and catch fire".
Live footage broadcasted by local media showed rescue workers rushing to the accident site, with a train derailed and smoke rising from the wreckage. The provincial administration reported that the train had departed from Bangkok heading to Ubon Ratchathani Province.
The Minister of Transport Vivat Rachakitprakarn said, "195 people were on the train, and authorities are rushing to identify the deceased."
The crane was used in a $5.4 billion project to construct a high-speed railway network in Thailand, supported by Beijing, aimed at connecting Bangkok to the city of Kunming in China through Laos by 2028, as part of China's "Belt and Road" initiative.
Accidents at factories and construction sites are common in Thailand, where lax enforcement of safety laws often leads to deadly incidents.
