The incident occurred at 9:05am, at a railway section in Ban Thanon Kod in Sikhio, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok, on the train bound for Ubon Ratchathani province. Several rescue units were immediately dispatched to the scene, reports the Bangkok Post.
Initial reports said that a crane, being used in the construction of a high-speed rail bridge, fell across the train tracks, blocking the track. An approaching passenger train collided with the collapsed crane and derailed, which also caused additional construction materials to fall onto the train.
The collision caused a fire, and rescuers had to use hydraulic cutters to free trapped passengers from the wreckage. They were transported to Sikhio, Sung Noen and Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima hospitals.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said he received a report about the incident and ordered the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to investigate the cause of the crane collapse.
The Public Relations Office of the SRT reported at 11:30am that the fatality number had risen to 12. The figure is under verification by local authorities.
The train was a special express No. 21, with three carriages, and had a total of 195 passengers and staff, based on the seating plan, the SRT said.
The rail bridge construction is for Section 1 (Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima) of the US$5.4-billion Thai-Chinese High-Speed Railway (HSR) project, which began in 2017. The project aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of China’s vast “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crane collapse.