At least eight people were killed and more than 20 injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Saturday, AP reported.
According to Thai media reports, the accident took place late in the afternoon near an airport rail link station in the central part of the city. Bangkok’s emergency services agency, the Erawan Medical Center, confirmed the death toll and said several injured people had been taken for treatment.
Siripong Angkasakulkiat, Thailand’s deputy transport minister, told reporters at the scene that all the bodies recovered were found inside the bus. He added that authorities were still trying to determine how many passengers had been travelling in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
When asked about reports that the bus may have stopped on the railway tracks and whether the crossing barriers had failed to lower properly, Siripong said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation.
Videos circulating on social media showed several vehicles halted at the railway crossing moments before the collision. The cargo train was then seen crashing into an orange public bus, dragging nearby vehicles along the tracks. The bus later caught fire following the impact.
Some footage also showed motorcycles and riders being thrown onto the road after the collision. Later videos from the scene showed rescue personnel entering the charred remains of the bus after firefighters managed to bring the flames under control.
