A train has derailed in north-eastern Thailand after a construction crane fell on two of its carriages, killing at least 32 people and injuring 66, the regional governor says.
The accident occurred in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230km north-east of Bangkok, on a train from the capital bound for Ubon Ratchathani province.
Transport minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement there were 195 people aboard the train and he had ordered a thorough investigation.
The crane was working on a high-speed rail project when it collapsed and struck a passing train, derailing it and briefly causing it to catch fire.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the country's state railway to provide good compensation for families of the dead, adding in comments to reporters after being briefed at the scene: "We need to investigate ... and take legal action."
Images shared by the ministry showed train carriages overturned next to shrubland and firefighters extinguishing a blaze as smoke billowed. Source: EPA / Narong Sangnak
Earlier footage of the crash site showed rescue workers trying to extract casualties from one of the mangled carriages, with some badly injured passengers already being loaded into ambulances.
The elevated high-speed rail project, one of several under construction in Thailand, was being built above the existing rail line.
Part of the collapsed crane is still propped up by the concrete stanchions built to support the new rail link, with debris dangling over the tracks below.
The construction is part of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima segment of the high-speed rail project linking the Thai capital with the south-west Chinese city of Kunming.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the government attached great importance to the safety of projects and personnel in Thailand and was looking into the situation.
"At present, it seems that the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise. The cause of the accident is still under investigation," they said.
The cross-country high-speed rail project will connect to China through Laos.
The government said last year more than a third of construction had been completed in the segment connecting Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, with the whole line to Nong Khai at the border with Laos ready by 2030.
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