Thailand’s acting prime minister has called for tougher laws to blacklist the construction company involved in the deadly accident that led to a train crash killing 32 people.
Anutin Charnvirakul visited Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok on Wednesday evening after a crane involved in the construction work plunged onto a moving train.
According to the latest update from Thailand’s public health office, as many as 32 people were dead and 64 injured, including seven who were critical.
Three passengers remain missing among the total 171 people who boarded the train.
The incident has sparked outrage after it emerged that the company Italian-Thai Development, which was responsible for the construction stretch that collapsed, was also the co-lead contractor in a Bangkok high-rise building that collapsed in March 2025 during an earthquake.
About 100 people were killed after the under-construction State Audit Building collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake epicentred in Myanmar struck. It was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer the damage.
Mr Anutin, who boarded a helicopter to visit the site of the disaster after cancelling his campaign rally, said it was “clearly the fault of the construction company” as he offered sympathies to the families of the victims.
“It is time to change the law to blacklist construction companies that are repeatedly responsible for accidents,” he said.
The prime minister questioned why the contractor had not been barred from state projects earlier, noting a pattern of repeated incidents involving the same companies. He said accidents on this scale were not isolated.
He also fumed over the proposed compensation of 40,000 baht (£950 approx), calling it “inadequate”. He said the compensation should be in millions of baht per family as he questioned whether the governor of the State Railway of Thailand should resign, according to Thai Examiner.
Mr Anutin was picked by his party to stand as its candidate for prime minister in a general election in early February, as he bids to benefit from a wave of nationalism arising from an ongoing border conflict with Cambodia. Less than 100 days after he was elected premier, Mr Anutin dissolved parliament earlier this month when his minority government faced the threat of a no-confidence vote.
The crash occurred on part of a planned high-speed rail project that will eventually connect China with much of Southeast Asia.
The project's contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision, said Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand.
He said authorities will examine the responsibilities of both parties, and the Railway Department plans to take legal action against the contractor as a first step.
The Italian-Thai Development PCL said it would take “full responsibility” of the accident and “provide full compensation and medical care” to the families of victims and the injured.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it would investigate the incident but added, “at present, it appears that the relevant section is being constructed by Thai companies, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation”.
A new construction accident on a road near Bangkok was reported on Thursday, just 24 hours after the construction crane accident.
There was no immediate official confirmation of deaths in Thursday’s accident, but the Facebook page of Fire & Rescue Thailand, which covers the activities of volunteer firefighters and rescue workers, said at least one person was killed.
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