LONDON — At least a dozen people were killed on Wednesday as a construction crane for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a passenger train in Thailand, government officials said.
The train, which had departed from Bangkok, was carrying 195 passengers and staff members, according to the State Railway of Thailand.
A train traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani lies damaged after being derailed when a construction crane fell onto one of its carriages, causing multiple casualties, in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Jan. 14, 2026.
Ministry Of Transport via Reuters
The crane crashed onto the moving train at about 9:05 a.m. as it traveled between stations in Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu, in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
“Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages,” the government said in a statement on social media. “Multiple rescue teams deployed.”
This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows aid workers after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
State Railway of Thailand via AP
Investigators were working at the scene to identify the dead and injured, according to Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the deputy prime minister and minister of transport.
Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement released by the railway that the initial death toll had been four, but that had since risen to at least a dozen.
This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows a scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
State Railway of Thailand via AP
“These figures are currently being verified and officially confirmed by the relevant agencies on the ground,” the minister said in Thai in a statement posted to social media.
The train was listed as the Special Express Train No. 21, which connects Bangkok, the capital, with Ubon Ratchithani, a city in the northeast, according to the railway.