BANGKOK: A crane at a high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train on Wednesday (Jan 14) and caused it to derail, killing at least 32 people, authorities said.
The massive crane’s broken structure was left resting on giant concrete pillars, while smoke rose from the wreckage of the train below, footage from the scene verified by AFP showed.
The company contracted to build the section of the high-speed rail where the crane fell, Italian-Thai Development – one of Thailand’s biggest construction firms – has seen a series of deadly accidents at its sites in recent years.
The firm expressed condolences for those killed and the dozens injured, saying in a statement it would “take responsibility for compensating the victims’ families and covering medical expenses for those injured”.
Dozens of rescuers worked into the evening, using other cranes to remove wreckage and search for missing people in the tilted carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230km northeast of the capital Bangkok.
Mitr Intrpanya, who was at the scene, said he heard a loud noise “like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions”.
“When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages,” the 54-year-old told AFP.
“The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half.”
The Thai health ministry said 32 people were killed, three were missing and 64 were hospitalised including seven in serious condition.
“ONLY COMPANY IN CHARGE”
The accident happened at a construction site that is part of a more than US$5 billion project backed by China to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand.
It aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of Beijing’s vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.
Engineering consultant Theerachote Rujiviphat, an adviser on the high-speed project, told AFP the Thai company contracted to build the section of the high-speed rail where the crane fell, Italian-Thai Development, was solely responsible for its collapse.
Theerachote, from the China Railway Design Corporation, said the launching crane that fell onto the existing rail tracks also belonged to Italian-Thai Development.
“It is the only company in charge. A similar accident also happened a few years ago under their responsibility,” Theerachote added.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/crane-falls-train-thailand-northeast-22-dead-5857516
