At least 18 people were killed when a train collided with a bus in central Thailand on Sunday. Dozens of people were taken to hospital with several in critical condition, health officials said.
The tour bus with 65 passengers on board was hit by the train as it crossed a railway track during rain in Chachoengsao, 80 kilometres east of Bangkok.
Maitree Tritilanon, the governor of Chachoengsao province, said the crossing had an alarm but no barrier to block traffic when trains were approaching.
District official Prathueng Yookassem said rain might have played a role in the crash. “It was raining, perhaps, the driver did not see the train,” he told Thailand’s PBS TV.
Footage shared by a government department showed the bus edging from the road onto train tracks before a blue cargo train slammed into its side.
Early photos taken by rescue workers showed gnarled metal and debris, with bodies lying by the tracks and people's belongings scattered around the scene.
Rescue workers lifted the injured on stretchers into nearby parked ambulances, and a crane arrived early in the afternoon to lift the vehicle off the tracks.
Mr Maitree said the bus passengers were travelling from neighbouring Samut Prakan province to a temple in Chachoengsao to offer yellow robes to monks – a traditional ceremony held within a month of the end of Buddhist Lent.
He said the province would install speed bumps and barriers as well as cut down trees near the crossing to improve visibility.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha gave his condolences and instructed authorities to investigate the cause of the crash, a government spokesman said.
Such deadly accidents are common in Thailand, which regularly tops lists of the world's most lethal roads, with speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.
Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world, according to a 2018 World Health Organisation report.
Although a majority of the victims are motorcyclists, bus crashes involving groups of tourists and migrant labourers often grab headlines.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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South Korea
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
