Freight train crashes into bus in Bangkok, killing at least eight

At least eight people were killed, and more than 20 were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday, May 16, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Local media said the accident occurred in the afternoon near a station on an urban rail line leading to the airport in the central part of the Thai capital. The casualty figures were confirmed by the city’s emergency response centre, the Erawan Medical Centre.

According to reports, a line of vehicles had formed in front of the railway crossing when the train struck a bus that was on the tracks. The force of the collision dragged several vehicles along the rails, and the bus subsequently caught fire.

Footage from the scene shows that motorcycles and people were thrown onto the road by the impact. Emergency responders and firefighters later worked to evacuate the injured and extinguish the burning vehicles.

By Tamilla Hasanova