On January 14, a significant traffic accident took place in Thailand, leading to at least 32 deaths and 64 injuries. (Video screenshot)
[People News] A serious traffic incident occurred on January 14 in Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand. A crane operating at the construction site of the China-Thailand high-speed railway project unexpectedly fell from a height, crashing onto a train carrying approximately 195 passengers. This caused the train compartments to catch fire and derail. The police have reported that search and rescue operations are ongoing, and the casualty count may increase further.
As reported by Reuters, the accident occurred around 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday in Sikhio County, approximately 230 kilometres northeast of Bangkok. The train was scheduled to travel from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, coinciding with a busy period for both construction and railway operations.
Eyewitnesses described how the metal arm of the crane sliced through the second compartment of the train like a knife, effectively 'cutting it in half.'
A major traffic accident occurred in Thailand on January 14, resulting in at least 32 deaths and 64 injuries. (Video screenshot)
According to the Bangkok Post, a railway accident occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima Province on the morning of the same day, resulting in at least 32 fatalities and 64 injuries. Among the injured, the youngest is a 1-year-old child, while the oldest is a 59-year-old elderly person. Most of the injured have sustained minor injuries and are currently under observation.
Video of the major accident on the China-Thailand railway 1
Video of the major accident on the China-Thailand railway 2
Thailand's Minister of Transport, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, stated in a press release that there were 195 passengers on the train at the time of the incident. Three carriages were struck by an overturned crane, with the majority of casualties occurring in two of those carriages. He has ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul emphasised that someone must be held accountable and face punishment for this incident.
The construction project where the accident took place is a high-speed rail initiative co-developed by China and Thailand, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative framework. Some sections of the high-speed rail tracks are constructed above existing railways, and the weight of the overturned crane was partially supported by the pillars of the high-speed rail viaduct, resulting in particularly severe consequences from the accident.
According to the plan, once completed, the Thai high-speed rail will connect with Laos and China. The Thai government announced last year that over one-third of the construction from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima has been completed, while the final segment from Nong Khai to Laos is expected to be finished by 2030.
According to a report from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), preliminary investigations reveal that the crane collapse incident on the high-speed train from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani occurred during the construction of the Thailand-China high-speed rail project. This incident falls under the scope of contracts 3-4, which encompass civil engineering works for the Lam Ta Khong-Sikhiu section and the Kut Chik-Kok Kruat section, totalling 37.45 kilometres in length. The project is being undertaken by Italy-Thailand Development Public Company Limited, and as of December 2025, construction progress has reached 99.54%.
The construction site is part of the first phase of the Bangkok-Lang Khai high-speed railway project (Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section). The project website describes it as a "cooperative initiative between the government of Thailand and the government of the People's Republic of China." The high-speed rail project website lists two civil engineering consulting firms: China Railway International Co., Ltd. and China Railway Design Corporation.
Italy-Thailand Engineering Company is one of the largest contractors in Thailand and was also responsible for the construction of the only building that collapsed in Bangkok during the strong earthquake in Myanmar last March. The company has not yet issued a response regarding this incident.
This significant accident on the Thailand-China railway comes less than a year after the collapse of the Bangkok-China joint construction building, which involved the Chinese Communist Party. On March 28, 2025, the 33-story office building of the National Audit Office of Thailand, constructed by China Railway 10th Bureau, unexpectedly collapsed, resulting in at least 95 fatalities, 9 injuries, and 1 person missing.
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