A horrifying train crash in the heart of Bangkok left at least eight people dead and dozens more injured after a freight train slammed into a public bus that became trapped on railroad tracks before bursting into flames.
The devastating collision happened Saturday near the Airport Rail Link’s Makkasan station in Bangkok, where terrified witnesses watched as the speeding freight train crashed into the stranded bus and dragged nearby vehicles across the tracks.
According to Thai officials, the fiery wreck killed at least eight people and injured 32 others.
Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said all of the victims who died were passengers aboard the bus.
Emergency crews rushed to the chaotic scene as massive flames swallowed the bus and nearby cars and motorcycles.
Officials say preliminary findings suggest the bus became trapped on the tracks while stopped at a red light, preventing the crossing barriers from lowering before the train arrived.
The freight train, which was carrying shipping containers, reportedly could not stop in time.
Videos shared online captured the horrifying moment the train smashed into the bus, sending debris flying while vehicles nearby were dragged along the rails.
“The bus was stuck at a red light, so it couldn’t move,” witness Wanthong Kokpho, a local motorcycle taxi driver, told Reuters. “Cars were also blocked and unable to move forward.”
Moments later, flames erupted.
“The fire broke out immediately,” the witness said, adding that the disaster could have been even worse if it had happened during a busy workday.
Firefighters battled the massive blaze while rescue teams desperately searched through the wreckage for survivors.
Authorities said emergency crews worked to pull injured victims from twisted debris as firefighters sprayed water on the burning bus and surrounding vehicles.
Images from the scene showed the front of the freight train heavily damaged while burned-out cars sat scattered across the roadway beneath an elevated highway.
Officials later confirmed the fire was eventually brought under control, though crews continued cooling the area and searching for additional victims.
Authorities are now investigating the exact cause of the crash.
Thailand has long struggled with deadly road and rail accidents, with the World Health Organization previously ranking the country among the most dangerous in the world for traffic fatalities due to weak enforcement of transportation safety laws.
