Train and Bus Collide in Bangkok, Thailand: At Least 8 Dead, Over 30 Injured

Bus Stopped at Crossing, Struck by Train
Barrier and Warning Lights Failed to Activate... Authorities Launch Investigation

On May 16 (local time), a bus collided with a train at a railroad crossing in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, resulting in at least eight deaths and more than 30 injuries.

According to local media outlets such as The Nation, Bangkok Post, and Thai PBS, at around 3:40 p.m. that day, a freight train struck a bus at a crossing near Makkasan Station on the Airport Rail Link in downtown Bangkok. At the time, a bus operated by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) was stopped at the signal on the tracks at the crossing. A freight train operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) then collided with the bus. The bus was pushed for several dozen meters and was eventually engulfed in flames. Several nearby cars and motorcycles were also involved in secondary collisions, with some vehicles catching fire as well.

On the afternoon of the 16th (local time), a train collided with a bus at a crosswalk in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Fire authorities who responded to the scene extinguished the vehicle fires about 20 minutes after the accident occurred, but the bus was completely destroyed by fire. Rescue teams found the bodies of eight people, including the driver and passengers, in the charred remains of the bus, and transported the injured to nearby hospitals. Among the injured, two were reported to be in critical condition.

A witness to the accident, Aun (38), told the local media outlet Khaosod that he had parked his car in front of the crossing when he suddenly heard two loud crashes, and debris from the collision struck the left side of his vehicle. He said, "When I turned around, I saw the train pushing the bus, and flames erupted immediately," adding, "The accident happened so quickly that my car was almost caught up in the collision." A video of the accident was posted on social media, showing the freight train striking the side of the bus as it stood on the crossing.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the accident, including the possibility of a malfunction in the automatic crossing barrier. To this end, they have recovered the train's data recorder from the SRT and secured related materials such as footage from nearby closed-circuit (CC) TV cameras. Normally, when a train approaches, the automatic barrier should be completely lowered to block the crossing and warning lights should activate. However, in this incident, the barrier did not come down and the warning lights did not turn on, leading authorities to suspect a malfunction in the system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.