At least 31 people have died after a crane fell onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday morning, causing it to derail and burst into flames.
The train was travelling at around 120kmph when the crane slammed into its second carriage, "slicing it in half", followed by two loud explosions, according to an eyewitness.
The incident occurred in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230km (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok where the train originated.
Officials said 195 passengers were on board at the time and 64 were injured, seven seriously. Those suffering the most serious injuries were transferred to major hospitals, with others treated nearer the crash site.
The crane that collapsed onto the train was working on a medium-speed railway being built as part of the broader Thai–Chinese High-Speed Railway (HSR) project.
China said the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise.
Key Points
- Death toll swells to 31
- Crane operator offers compensation and its condolences
- Witness says crane ‘sliced train in half’
- Mapped: Where did the accident happen?
- First pictures from the scene show derailed train coaches
- Thailand orders 'comprehensive' investigation into train incident
Thai PM arrive at crash site to meet victims
11:33 , Shweta SharmaThailand's acting prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, arrived at the crash site to meet the relatives of the victims of the incident.
The prime minister declared that "all responsible parties" would be held accountable if wrongdoing is found.
Death toll increases to 31
11:14 , Shweta SharmaThe death toll in the train accident caused by a crane collapse has mounted to 31, the health ministry said in its latest update.
The ministry said that 30 died at the site of the crash and one died while being transferred to the hospital.
At least 64 people are injured, with seven in serious condition.
Eleven patients still remain hospitalised and 53 have been discharged.
New pictures show the scale of wreckage left behind by the accident
10:45 , Shweta SharmaThai workers appeared to be clearing the massive wreckage left behind by the incident.
The pictures showed cranes pulling the debris from the crash site.
The picture also showed mangled parts of train wreckage and machinery from the construction site.
Crane operator offers compensation and its condolences
10:11 , Shweta SharmaThe company responsible for the construction project where the crane collapsed has expressed its sorrow for Wednesday's disaster, which killed 29 people.
Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, one of Thailand's largest construction companies, was in charge of the Lam Takhong-Sikhio section of the project where the incident took place.
The company said it “commits to fully compensating the families of the deceased and the injured and supports authorities to resolve the situation and restore normalcy as quickly as possible”.
ITD was set up in the 1950s as a joint venture between a Thai and an Italian businessman, but is now wholly Thai-operated and headquartered in Bangkok.
A falling crane, and then fire: How the train disaster unfolded
09:38 , Shweta SharmaSpecial express train number 21 was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani at 120kmph when it was struck by a falling construction crane at around 9.13am local time on Wednesday.
It had departed from Nong Nam Khun station in Nakhon Ratchasima province and was headed for the next station.
The crane was working at a construction site for a railway project which was a part of a Thai-Chinese project linking the national capital Bangkok to the north-eastern province of Nong Khai, bordering Laos.
Eyewitnesses said the impact of the crane sliced the second carriage in half.
One of the carriages derailed and another caught fire.
The train was carrying an estimated 195 passengers.
Photos published in Thai media showed plumes of smoke above the scene, and construction equipment hanging down from between two concrete support pillars.
Rescue workers stood on top of overturned railways carriages, some of them with gaping holes torn on their sides, video from public broadcaster ThaiPBS showed.
What appeared to be sections of the crane were scattered along the track. Meanwhile, paramedics gave first aid to injured passengers.
Thai media reported the train had three carriages, the last two being the most damaged.
Video shows aftermath of train accident after crane hit it
09:23 , Shweta SharmaDeath toll rises to 29, health officials say
09:16 , Shweta SharmaThe death toll from the train accident has increased to 29, according to the latest update from the provincial public health office.
At least 64 people are injured, with seven of them severely hurt.
Everything we know so far about the accident
09:09 , Shweta Sharma- A construction crane fell onto a moving passenger train, causing a fiery derailment that killed at least 25 people Wednesday in northeastern Thailand. Another 64 people were injured.
- The derailment occurred on part of an ambitious planned high-speed rail project that will eventually connect China with much of Southeast Asia.
- The crane, which was being used to build an elevated part of the railway, fell as the train was traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province, according to the public relations office for Nakhon Ratchasima province, where the accident took place.
- Thai media reported the train had three carriages, the last two being the most damaged.
- Transport minister Piphat Ratchakitprakan said 195 people were on board the train. He said he ordered an investigation.
- Thail prime minister has demanded "someone [to] be punished and held accountable" for the incident.
- The Chinese government said it was looking into the incident but that the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise.
UK ambassador to Thailand says 'deeply saddened' by incident
08:54 , Shweta SharmaMark Gooding, the British ambassador to Thailand, has issued a statement on the incident, saying the UK stands with Thailand.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic incident involving a train in Nakhon Ratchasima this morning. My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK stands with Thailand at this difficult time,” he wrote on X.
Thai PM says someone should be punished
08:45 , Shweta SharmaThail prime minister has demanded "someone [to] be punished and held accountable" for the incident that has killed 25 people.
Anutin Charnvirakul said the joint Thai-China project had experienced "several incidents before", citing a tunnel collapse about a year ago.
"Accidents like this can only happen due to negligence, skipped steps, deviations from the design, or the use of incorrect materials," he said.
He added the officials would "need to investigate whether there were any construction errors or deviations from proper procedures".
China responds to Thailand train accident linked to a joint project
08:39 , Shweta SharmaThe Chinese government has said it is verifying information about the accident which happened at the construction site of a railway project linking Thailand and China.
At a daily press briefing, foreign minister spokesperson Mao Ning said: "At present, it seems that the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise.”
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The high-speed rail project will connect to China through Laos.
Death toll rises to 25
07:58 , Shweta SharmaPolice say the death toll from Wednesday morning's incident has risen from 22 to 25.
At least 55 people are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, with many of them suffering minor injuries.
Six people were seriously injured, and have been transferred to larger medical facilities, officials said.
Pictures show burning train carriages
07:54 , Shweta SharmaNew pictures released by the Thai government show multiple train carriages on fire this morning, after a crane fell onto the train while it was speeding along at about 120kmph.
The fire has since been brought under control, and all trapped passengers have been rescued.
Youngest victim is a one-year-old baby
07:48 , Shweta SharmaA one-year-old has been identified as the youngest victim of the accident in Sikhio district, BBC Thai reported.
The oldest victim has been identified as a 59-year-old person, officials said.
At least 55 people are receiving treatment at a hospital, with many of them being treated for minor injuries.
Six people were seriously injured and have been transferred to other hospitals, officials said.
Witness says crane ‘sliced train in half’
07:45 , Shweta SharmaMitr Intrpanya, 54, a local resident who was at the scene, said he saw the crane strike the second carriage of the train “slicing it in half”.
“At around 9am, I heard a loud noise, like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions,” he told AFP.
“When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages.
“The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half.”
A look at train accidents in Thailand
07:30 , Shweta SharmaToday’s crash is among the deadliest rail accidents Thailand has seen in years, but it is not an isolated incident.
In December 2025, dozens of passengers were injured after a locomotive collided with a stationary passenger train during a shunting operation in Kanchanaburi province.
Earlier, in August 2025, a Bangkok-bound sleeper train derailed near Kui Buri in Prachuap Khiri Khan, injuring several passengers.
In 2023, a freight train crashed into a pick-up truck that was crossing railway tracks, killing eight people and injuring four others.
While most recent incidents have resulted in injuries rather than large loss of life, they have raised repeated concerns about rail safety, operational procedures and coordination during construction work along active lines.
Over 4,500 workers were killed or injured in construction accidents in 2021, according to a study by the Workmen's Compensation Fund in 2022.
Passengers were 'thrown into the air'
07:15 , Shweta SharmaA member of the train's staff has said that he and passengers were thrown into the air by the impact when the crane fell.
Thirasak Wongsoongnern told Thairath Online that the train had three carriages and most deaths and injuries occurred in the rear two carriages.
He said the train was travelling at a speed of about 120km/h when the accident happened.
He said he tried to help passengers but was unable to reach them as the second carriage had already caught fire.
A female noodle vendor near the accident site described how she was panicked, saying it was a usual day before she noticed the crane was bent and shortly after saw the crane losing balance and falling down.
She described hearing a loud clang of metal, forcing her to run to safety.
Health ministry says all remaining passengers rescued
06:28 , Shweta SharmaThailand’s health ministry said that all passengers have been removed from the scene.
It said all injured and non-injured passengers have been removed from the scene of the accident.
At least 22 bodies were recovered and 80 people were injured in the accident.
New pictures from crash site
06:14 , Shweta Sharma
Thailand orders 'comprehensive' investigation into train incident
06:10 , Shweta SharmaThe governor of the State Railway of Thailand has been instructed to conduct a “thorough and comprehensive” investigation into the cause of the accident, deputy prime minister and transport minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn said.
Ratchakitprakarn added that officials are verifying the identities of those affected and closely monitoring the injured, noting that compensation will be provided to the families of the deceased if they were railway workers.
He said there were believed to be 195 passengers on board the train at the time of the crash.
What do we know about the construction?
06:01 , Shweta SharmaThe crane that collapsed onto the train was working on a rail project.
It was a medium-speed railway being built mainly with Thai financing as part of the broader Thai–Chinese High-Speed Railway (HSR) project.
The project began in 2017, and construction was underway under phase one of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima route.
The railway is using Chinese technology and rolling stock, following delays and operational pauses, particularly during earlier negotiations with China.
Mapped: Where did the accident happen?
05:47 , Shweta SharmaThe passenger train was moving from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani in the north-east of Thailand when the accident happened on Wednesday morning.
The train was in the Sikhio district in the western part of Nakhon Ratchasima province, nearly 238km from the capital, Bangkok.
Death toll rises to 22
05:37 , Shweta SharmaThe death toll has risen to 22, with 79 others injured, after a crane collapsed onto a train, police said.
Eight of the injured are in a serious condition.
Local police told Reuters there were more bodies in the wreckage that had yet to be retrieved.
Around 195 passengers were on board the train
05:30 , Shweta SharmaThe State Railway of Thailand has said that around 195 people were on board the train that was struck by a crane on Wednesday morning.
The actual number of passengers could vary, officials said, as the estimate was based on its seating plan.
Thai government says many passengers are trapped in the train
05:23 , Shweta SharmaThe Thai government’s public relations department has said that many passengers are trapped in the carriages of the train that derailed after a crane collapsed onto it.
Construction crane for high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto moving passenger train in Sikhiu, Nakhon Ratchasima this morning (14 Jan) at 9:05 am. Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages. Multiple rescue teams deployed. pic.twitter.com/X4c0vyQIwA
— PR Thai Government (@prdthailand) January 14, 2026
First pictures from the scene show derailed train coaches
05:14 , Shweta SharmaThe first pictures from the scene of the accident in Thailand show the wreckage of the crane lying under an under-construction flyover.
Damaged carriages and debris from the train can also be seen lying on the ground near the train tracks.
Construction crane collapses onto train
05:08 , Shweta SharmaA huge construction crane has collapsed onto a moving train, travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province in northeastern Thailand, killing over a dozen people.
The incident happened at around 9am local time on Wednesday in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230km northeast of Bangkok, police said.
Many people have been injured and rescue teams are working to free those trapped inside the train car.
At least 12 confirmed dead after crane falls on to train in Thailand
05:02 , Shweta SharmaAt least 12 people have been killed after a construction crane fell onto a moving train, causing it to detail and catch fire, in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday morning.
Police have said the death toll is expected to keep rising as rescuers search through the train’s damaged and derailed carriages.
