Dozens of people were injured when a packed train was struck by a locomotive in a horrific crash in western Thailand, authorities said.
The six-carriage train was carrying hundreds of people when it was hit by the locomotive during a routine coupling operation at Wang Yen Railway station in the city of Kanchanaburi on Saturday evening.
The train’s windows were shattered and seats torn from their fixtures during the crash, which saw 13 passengers hospitalised and another 20 left with minor injuries. Four people suffered serious injuries and were treated at the nearby Phahol Pholpayuhasena Hospital.
Sources told Thai Examiner that the engine on the locomotive failed to brake as it reversed into the stationary train, damaging multiple carriages and putting the locomotive itself out of action.
The train had stopped at Wang Yen for a scheduled change in locomotive at around 5pm on Saturday, according to police from Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station.
One tourist on the train told Khaosod English that they had been “thrown about” the carriage after the impact.
“The train had nearly a hundred Thai and foreign tourists,” they said.
“When we arrived at Wang Yen Station, we stopped to wait for the locomotive swap, which takes about 20 minutes. While we were sitting in the carriages, the car was suddenly hit with a very hard impact.
“Tourists in every carriage were thrown about, with some hitting their heads against the windows, causing them to break, and others falling to the floor.”
According to Thairath Online, there was significant damage in the third-class carriage and one person suffered a skull fracture during the crash.
Kanchanaburi Station sent a replacement locomotive to the scene, which switched out the damaged locomotive before carrying the six carriages to the station.
Railway workers inspected the site on Saturday night, clearing the debris from the track and photographing the locomotive to document the damage. They checked the couplers used during the locomotive swap.
State Railway of Thailand (SRT) officials said engineers will examine the locomotive’s mechanical systems, and check the correct procedures used during the coupling sequence.
The final injury figures may change, officials said, as they continue collecting statements from crew members, injured passengers and staff from the station.
