Freight Train Collides With Bus at Bangkok Crossing, Killing 8

A freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in central Bangkok on Saturday, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, after the impact sparked a major fire that engulfed the bus and nearby vehicles, officials said.

The crash occurred near the Airport Rail Link corridor around the Makkasan area, where a line of traffic was stopped at the crossing. Emergency crews from Erawan Medical Center responded and confirmed the death toll. A deputy transport minister said all of the fatalities were found inside the bus and that the total number of passengers on board was still being determined.

The deputy transport minister also said investigators are looking into reports that the bus was stopped directly at the tracks and that the crossing barriers may not have functioned as intended. Police and rescue teams said the freight train, carrying containers, did not stop in time. Witness video posted online showed the train striking the bus and dragging it along with several nearby cars and motorcycles before flames broke out. In one account, a motorbike taxi driver described how the traffic situation at the crossing limited movement and how the collision unfolded...