Crane collapses onto train in Thailand, killing 22 passengers

Thailand – (Special Correspondent / Web Desk) – A crane at a China-backed high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train on Wednesday, causing the train to derail and killing at least 22 people, while dozens more were injured, authorities reported.

Footage verified by AFP showed the crane’s broken structure resting on massive concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wrecked train below.

Rescue teams worked to pull passengers from the tilted carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok.

“I heard a loud noise around 9:00 am, like something sliding down, followed by two explosions,” said local resident Mitr Intrpanya, 54, who witnessed the incident. “When I went to see, the crane had landed on a passenger train with three carriages. The crane’s metal seemed to hit the middle of the second carriage, cutting it in half.”

District police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong confirmed that 22 people were killed and about 80 others injured in the accident.

“We are now asking the hospital to say how many people are in critical condition,” Thatchapon said.

The accident happened at a construction site that is part of a $5.4-billion project backed by Beijing to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand.

⚠️ At least 22 dead as crane collapses onto train in #Thailand

The police have just confirmed that 22 people have died, while 79 others are injured. Eight of those wounded have severe injuries. pic.twitter.com/jBhqfTnTFk

— News.Az (@news_az) January 14, 2026

It aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of China’s vast “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.

“A crane collapsed onto a train causing it to derail and catch fire,” the Nakhon Ratchasima provincial public relations department said in a statement.

Live footage aired by local media showed rescue workers rushing to the scene, with a brightly coloured train derailed on its side as smoke billowed from the debris.

Thatchapon, the police chief, later told AFP that authorities were pausing the rescue operation due to “chemical leakage” at the scene.

The Nakhon Ratchasima provincial department said the train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said 195 people were on board the train and authorities were rushing to identify the deceased.

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He ordered officials to determine the cause of the accident, according to a statement.

Thailand already has around 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) of railway but the run-down network has long driven people to favour travel by road.

Upon completion of the 600-kilometre high-speed railway, Chinese-made trains will run from Bangkok to Nong Khai, on the Mekong River border with Laos, at up to 250 km/h.

Industrial and construction site accidents have long been common in Thailand, where lax enforcement of safety regulations often leads to deadly incidents.

In 2023, a freight train killed eight people after it struck a pickup truck crossing railway tracks in eastern Thailand.

A freight train killed at least 18 people and injured more than 40 others in 2020 when it crashed into a bus carrying passengers to a religious ceremony.