Thai Freight Train Hits Bus: Engineer Tested Positive for Drugs and Lacked License

Illegal Drug Detected in Urine Test; No Valid Operating License

Police: "Train Did Not Appear to Slow Down Despite Red Flag"

Further Investigation into Train Speed and Braking Distance

In connection with the recent accident at a railway crossing in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, where a train collided with a bus and left at least eight people dead, it has been confirmed that the train engineer tested positive for drugs at the time. It was also found that the engineer did not possess an official operating license issued by the railway authorities.

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

According to AFP and other sources on the 18th (local time), Bangkok police have charged a 46-year-old freight train engineer, identified as A, who is affiliated with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), with charges of involuntary manslaughter and injury. A is accused of causing the deaths of eight people and injuring 30 others when he was operating a freight train and collided with a city bus at a crossing near Makkasan Station on the Airport Rail Link in downtown Bangkok at around 3:40 p.m. on the 16th.

Police stated that an initial urine test conducted immediately after the accident detected illegal drug substances in A's system. However, the specific type of drug was not disclosed. A senior official with the Thai Department of Rail Transport also told local media that A tested positive for drugs and did not possess a valid operating license issued by the State Railway Authority.

Investigations revealed that at the time of the accident, the city bus, affiliated with the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), had come to a stop on the crossing tracks due to traffic congestion. The oncoming freight train then struck the bus directly, pushing it several dozen meters before it was engulfed in flames. Surrounding passenger cars and motorcycles were also caught in the collision, with some vehicles catching fire as well.

The fire authorities managed to extinguish the blaze approximately 20 minutes after receiving the report, but the bus was completely destroyed by fire. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of eight people, including the driver and passengers, from inside the burned-out bus, and the injured were transported to nearby hospitals. The number of injured was initially reported as 35, but was later revised to 30, with 17 currently receiving inpatient treatment.

Siam Boonsom, Chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police, stated that although traffic congestion frequently occurs at the crossing, this is the first time such a major accident has taken place there.

Police are also investigating whether there was any negligence on the part of the crossing attendant. Chief Boonsom said, "Footage from the scene shows the attendant holding a red flag indicating a stop signal, but it appears the train did not slow down or stop." Police plan to further investigate the train's speed and braking distance at the time of the incident.

In Thailand, accidents involving collisions between trains and vehicles at crossings without gates have been recurring. In September 2023, a freight train collided with a truck in Chachoengsao Province in the east, resulting in eight deaths and four injuries. In October 2020, a tourist bus and a freight train collided on tracks in central Chachoengsao Province, killing 19 people and injuring 44. Both accidents occurred at crossings without gates, according to investigations.

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