Thailand: At least 25 people were killed and dozens more injured on Wednesday after a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in north-eastern Thailand. The incident occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima province, north-east of Bangkok, during the morning hours as the train passed through a construction zone.
Emergency officials said the crane fell directly onto the moving train, striking multiple carriages and causing them to tilt and overturn. Thick smoke rose from the wreckage as rescue teams rushed to the scene to pull survivors from the damaged cars.
Several carriages were visibly crushed, with debris scattered across the tracks. Residents described hearing a loud crash followed by explosions. One witness said the crane appeared to slice through the middle of one carriage, leaving it split apart. Rescuers worked for hours to free trapped passengers, some of whom were seriously injured.
— SRT OFFICIAL (@PR_SRT) January 14, 2026
District police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong confirmed that 22 deaths had been recorded, while at least 80 people were injured. Hospitals were asked to assess how many victims were in critical condition as authorities worked to identify those who lost their lives.
Rescue efforts were temporarily paused after officials detected a chemical leak at the site, raising concerns for the safety of emergency workers. Authorities said the situation was being closely monitored before operations could safely resume.
“พิพัฒน์” สั่งตรวจสอบเข้มทุก เหตุเครนก่อสร้างหล่นทับขบวนรถไฟ สั่งอธิบดีกรมราง–ผู้ว่าการรถไฟ ลงพื้นที่ตรวจสอบด่วน แสดงความเสียใจต่อผู้สูญเสีย pic.twitter.com/KQbdLVGQ6u
— SRT OFFICIAL (@PR_SRT) January 14, 2026
The train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province and was carrying 195 passengers at the time of the accident, according to Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He ordered an immediate investigation to determine the cause of the crane collapse.
The accident occurred at a construction site linked to a major high-speed rail project valued at 5.4 billion dollars. The project, backed by Beijing, aims to connect Bangkok with Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of the Belt and Road initiative.
Thailand’s rail network spans about 5,000 kilometres but has long suffered from underinvestment, pushing many travellers to rely on road transport. The new 600-kilometre high-speed line is expected to use Chinese-made trains capable of speeds up to 250 kilometres per hour.
