Saturday, March 29, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand: A devastating industrial accident struck Thailand on Wednesday morning. A giant crane working on a high-speed rail project toppled onto a passing passenger train, killing 22 people and injuring over 30 others seriously.
Time and Place: The incident occurred early on January 14, 2026, in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province—230 km from Bangkok.
Sequence of Events: The train was heading from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani. As it passed a construction site for a China-backed high-speed rail network, the crane suddenly lost balance, crashed onto the train, derailed it, and sparked a fire.
Passengers Onboard: 195 people were aboard at the time.
Videos flooding social media show rescuers cutting through wreckage to free the injured. Transport Minister Phithak Ratchakitprakorn confirmed the fire is under control, with efforts underway to identify the deceased.
The crane was part of China’s $5.4 billion “Belt and Road” initiative, aiming to link Bangkok to China’s Kunming via Laos by 2028. Thailand’s lax safety enforcement often leads to construction mishaps, but this is the deadliest rail incident in recent times.
