LONDON – At least 22 people were killed Wednesday when a construction crane for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, government officials said.
At least 64 other people were injured, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said in a statement.
The crane crashed into the train at around 9:05 a.m. as it was traveling between Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
A train traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani lies damaged after derailing when a construction crane fell on one of its carriages, causing multiple casualties, in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on January 14, 2026.
Ministry of Transport via Reuters
“The train derailed and caught fire. More than 30 passengers were injured, many trapped in the carriages,” the government said in an opening statement posted on social media. “Multiple rescue teams deployed.”
The train, which left Bangkok, was carrying 195 passengers and staff, according to the State Railways of Thailand.
This photo released by the State Railways of Thailand shows aid workers after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Thailand State Railway via AP
Investigators were working at the scene to identify the dead and injured, according to Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, deputy prime minister and transport minister.
Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement released by the railway that the initial death toll was thought to be four, but had since risen to at least a dozen.
This photo released by the State Railway of Thailand shows a scene after a construction crane fell on a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Thailand State Railway via AP
“These figures are currently being officially verified and confirmed by relevant agencies on the ground,” the minister said in Thai. a statement posted on social media.
The Health Ministry raised that figure again and said, several hours later, that at least 22 people had died. The bodies of the dead were taken to Sikhiu hospital, the ministry said, adding that the injured were being treated at several local hospitals.
The train was listed as Special Express Train No. 21, which connects Bangkok, the capital, with Ubon Ratchithani, a city in the northeast, according to the railway.
