Numerous passengers, including a seven-year-old British girl, sustained injuries in a devastating train collision in Thailand.
An incident occurred when a locomotive struck a six-carriage train filled with hundreds of passengers at Wang Yen Railway Station in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, on a Saturday afternoon. The collision caused severe damage to the train carriages, leading to passengers being thrown from their seats. Officials disclosed that 13 passengers were hospitalized, while another 20 suffered minor injuries. Among the injured were three British citizens, including the young girl. Medical assistance was provided to nine passengers at Phahol Pholpayuhasena Hospital, and four were taken to Thanakarn Hospital. A passenger in one of the economy carriages sustained a skull fracture, as reported by Thairath Online.
A witness recounted to Khaosod English the chaos inside the train carriage during the impact, describing how passengers were tossed around. They stated, “The train was carrying almost a hundred Thai and foreign tourists. While waiting at Wang Yen Station for a locomotive change, a sudden powerful impact jolted the carriages. Passengers were thrown about, some hitting their heads on the windows, causing them to break, and others falling to the floor.”
The train had halted at Wang Yen for a regular locomotive exchange around 5pm, according to Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station officers.
Authorities indicated that the collision resulted from a malfunction in the shunter locomotive’s brakes, which are responsible for maneuvering the train carriages within the station for the locomotive switch. The faulty brakes caused the shunter locomotive to reverse uncontrollably, crashing into the stationary carriages, as detailed by the Thai Examiner. Subsequently, a replacement locomotive was dispatched to transport the carriages, with some uninjured passengers still aboard, back to Kanchanaburi Station.
Following the incident, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) arranged a bus to transfer 70 passengers to Kanchanaburi Station and the River Kwai Bridge at 7.05pm. SRT expressed regret for the event and announced that engineers would conduct an examination of the locomotive’s mechanical operations.
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