At least 32 people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when a crane at a China-backed high-speed rail construction site in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train, causing it to derail, authorities said.
The incident occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok. Footage verified by AFP showed the massive crane resting on concrete pillars above the train, with smoke rising from the wreckage. Rescuers worked to extract passengers from the tilted carriages, while three people remain missing and 64 were hospitalised, seven in serious condition.
Eyewitness Mitr Intrpanya described hearing a loud noise “like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions.” He said the crane struck the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half.
The accident happened at a construction site of Thailand’s $5 billion high-speed rail project, which aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Engineering consultant Theerachote Rujiviphat, an adviser on the project, said the Thai contractor, Italian-Thai Development, was solely responsible for the crane’s collapse. “It is the only company in charge. A similar accident also happened a few years ago under their responsibility,” he told AFP. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called for a full investigation and accountability, noting repeated incidents involving the same construction company. “It is time to change the law to blacklist construction companies that are repeatedly responsible for accidents,” he said.
Italian-Thai Development and its director were previously indicted in August over a Bangkok high-rise collapse that killed around 90 people, mostly construction workers.
China’s foreign ministry said Beijing is closely monitoring the incident and expressed condolences to the victims. A spokesperson noted that the section where the crane fell was being constructed by a Thai company.
The Nakhon Ratchasima provincial public relations department said the train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani when the crane fell, causing the derailment and a fire. Rescue operations briefly paused due to a chemical leak at the site. Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed 195 passengers were on board.
Thailand’s rail network spans about 5,000 kilometres but remains underdeveloped, prompting heavy reliance on road travel. Once completed, the 600-kilometre high-speed railway will allow Chinese-built trains to travel from Bangkok to Nong Khai on the Laos border at speeds up to 250 km/h.
Industrial accidents are common in Thailand due to lax enforcement of safety regulations. In 2023, a freight train collision with a pickup truck killed eight people in eastern Thailand.
