17 Dead in Thailand Bus-Train Collision

The number of deaths and injuries is expected to increase.

Desk Report

Published: 11 Oct 2020, 12:26 pm

Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

At least 17 passengers were killed and more than a dozen injured on Sunday, when a bus crashed on a train in Thailand, officials said.

The collision occurred about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of the capital Bangkok, as bus passengers were on their way to the temple in the province of Chachoengsao to celebrate the end of the Buddhist Lent, the district police chief said.

"The death toll we have so far is 17," he said, adding that the accident occurred around 8 am (0100 GMT).

Provincial governor Maitree Tritilanand told reporters that about 29 people had been injured so far.

Early photos of rescue workers showed gnarled metal and rubble, bodies lying on the train tracks, and people's belongings scattered.

The bus was rolled over on its side, the top of it torn off, and rescue workers said a crane was needed to lift it.

The number of casualties and injured is expected to rise.

Such fatal accidents are frequent in Thailand, which routinely ranks among the world's deadliest highways, with speedy, drunk driving and poor law enforcement factors contributing to them all.

According to the World Health Organization's 2018 report, Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world.

Although most of the casualties are motorcyclists, bus accidents involving groups of visitors and migrant workers also take the headlines.

In March 2018, at least 18 people were killed and dozens injured when a bus carrying people returning from holidays in northeast Thailand sank off the road and broke into a tree.

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