Three people were killed yesterday when a train crashed into a double-decker bus carrying holidaymakers as it was crossing the rails, the police said.
The bus was taking a group of workers from a nearby factory in Nakhon Pathom province west of Bangkok to the southern island of Koh Samet for a three-day vacation, according to local police officer Thanachot Shinwongsa.
“Three have been reported dead, all Thais. The number of injuries is not yet confirmed,” he told AFP.
The local media reported at least 27 people were injured.
“The scene was cleared and the train is back in service.”
Video footage of the accident in Nakhon Chaisi district showed the bus slowly crossing the rails when a train plowed into it at full-speed, whipping the vehicle around and causing it to hit the train again from the far side.
There appeared to be no lights or other warning devices at the intersection, a common failing at many unregulated railway-road junctions in Thailand.
The train had honked several times as it was approaching the crossing, but the bus could not stop in time. It was reported that music was playing loudly in the coach, a possible reason why the driver did not hear the horn, according to Bangkok Post.
Other cars were seen driving over the tracks alongside the bus just seconds before the collision.
Thailand has the world’s second-most dangerous roads in terms of per-capita deaths.
The World Health Organization estimates about 24,000 people die each year in road traffic accidents.
In January, three people were killed and scores injured when a truck crashed into the side of a passenger train several hours south of Bangkok.
Story: AFP
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