Construction Crane Collapse Kills Dozens After Crushing Passenger Train in Thailand

Daftar Isi

 

en01.web.id – Thailand.

A major transportation disaster struck Thailand on Wednesday morning (January 14, 2026), when a massive construction crane collapsed and fell onto a moving passenger train in Sikhio District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The tragic incident killed dozens of passengers and injured many others, making it one of the deadliest railway accidents in the country in recent years.

The accident involved a large launching gantry crane used in the construction of the Thailand–China high-speed railway project. The crane suddenly gave way and plunged onto Special Express Train No. 21, which was traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani with nearly 200 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

According to Thai authorities, the crash occurred at approximately 9:13 a.m. local time as the train was passing beneath an elevated construction site. The crane, weighing several dozen tons, was being used to install concrete beams for the rail project when its support structure reportedly failed, causing the crane to lose balance and collapse directly onto the active railway line.

The impact was devastating. Several train carriages derailed, were severely crushed, and some caught fire. Passengers were thrown violently inside the carriages, while heavy steel and concrete debris tore through the train. Rescue operations were immediately launched but were hampered by twisted metal and burning wreckage, leaving many victims trapped.

Police and emergency officials confirmed that at least 32 people were killed, while dozens more sustained injuries, some of them critical. Authorities also reported that the victims included foreign nationals, among them citizens of Germany and South Korea.

Thai Prime Minister expressed deep condolences to the victims’ families and ordered an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the disaster. The government temporarily suspended construction work at the site, describing the incident as a serious failure of safety standards that must be thoroughly examined.

Investigators are now focusing on whether negligence, procedural violations, or technical failures contributed to the crane’s collapse. Railway authorities shut down the affected rail line to allow for recovery operations, forensic inspections, and the removal of debris from the tracks.

The tragedy has sparked widespread public concern over safety practices at large-scale infrastructure projects in Thailand, particularly those built above or near active transport routes. The government has pledged to tighten construction safety regulations and strengthen oversight to prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.

(rd/ks/jk)