By Staff Reporter
Bangkok | January 14, 2026 | AFP
At least 22 people were killed and more than 30 injured on Wednesday after a crane collapsed onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand, causing it to derail and catch fire, police said.
The incident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time in Nakhon Ratchasima province, when a crane being used in the construction of a China-backed high-speed rail project fell onto a moving train.
“Twenty-two people were killed and more than 30 were injured,” local police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong told AFP.
According to the provincial public relations department, the crane struck the train, forcing it off the tracks before parts of the wreckage caught fire. Live footage broadcast by local media showed emergency crews rushing to the scene as smoke rose from the overturned, brightly coloured passenger cars.
The train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, carrying 195 passengers, Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said. Authorities are working to identify the victims and determine the cause of the collapse.
The crane was part of a $5.4 billion high-speed rail project backed by Beijing, intended to link Bangkok with Kunming, China, via Laos by 2028. The railway is a key component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Thailand has a long history of industrial and construction-related accidents, often blamed on weak enforcement of safety regulations. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
