Eighteen people have been killed and 44 injured after a train collided with a bus in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand, on Sunday.
The accident occurred in the morning at a railway crossing about fifty kilometers from Bangkok while bus passengers were on their way to a temple for the Kathina robe offering ceremony, according to a report by Bangkok Post.
Provincial Governor, Mr. Maitree Tritilanond, initially told reporters that 17 people were dead, with 29 injured, however, the death toll rose by the afternoon.
Freight train No. 852 was on its route between Laem Chabang and Hua Takhae railway stations when it crashed into the bus at the railway crossing in Tambon Bang Toey in Chachoengsao’s Muang district.
The bus was taking sixty passengers from Samut Prakan province south of Bangkok to Wat Bang Pla Nak temple.
According to Bangkok Post, footage shared by a government department showed the bus edging from the road onto train tracks before the cargo train slammed into its side.
One survivor reported that she was sleeping on the bus while other passengers were singing karaoke. She said she heard the noise of a train horn shortly before the horrific crash.
“It happened very quickly and unexpectedly. When I was regained consciousness, I saw many casualties” she added.
In March 2018, at least 18 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bus carrying people returning from a holiday in northeastern Thailand swerved off the road and smashed into a tree.
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world.
