19 die as train derails in Thailand

A train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday after a construction crane fell on three of its carriages, killing at least 19 people and injuring about 80, police said.

The accident occurred Wednesday morning in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 km, 143 miles, northeast of Bangkok, on a train from the capital bound for Ubon Ratchathani province.

Local police said more bodies were still trapped in the wreckage.

“Nineteen bodies have been recovered, but there are still some inside the train carriages that cannot be removed yet because the crane started shifting, so the team pulled back for fear of danger,” Police Colonel Thatchapon Chinnawong said.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 passengers on board and that he had ordered a thorough investigation.

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Those killed were in two of the three carriages struck by the crane.

The crane was working on a high-speed rail project when it collapsed onto the moving train, causing it to derail and briefly catch fire.

Images released by the transport ministry showed overturned carriages beside shrubland and firefighters battling flames as smoke billowed.

The elevated high-speed rail line was being built above the existing railway.

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