4-8-2023 (BANGKOK) A tragic accident occurred early Friday morning when a freight train collided with a pick-up truck at a railway crossing in Muang district of this eastern province, leaving eight people dead and three others injured.
According to Pol Capt Teerawat Pornprasit, a duty officer at Muang police station, the incident happened around 3am at Moo 6 in tambon Khlong Udom Chonlajorn. The pick-up driver, Wichai Yulek, 55, told the police that he was taking a group of workers from Wat Buaroy in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district to a fish farm in Khlong Udom Cholachorn.
Despite noticing a warning light signalling the incoming train as he approached the crossing, a passenger told him to proceed. So, he attempted to drive across the rail track but failed. The train collided with the left side of the pick-up, propelling it violently off the road. The workers seated at the back of the vehicle were ejected upon impact, resulting in eight deaths and three injuries.
Surapat Prasop, 20, who was among the workers travelling in the pick-up, said he decided to jump off the vehicle upon seeing the approaching train. Seconds later, the pick-up was hit struck by the train.
The victims were identified as five men and three women, whose bodies were scattered over the area. Three people were injured, one of them seriously, and were rushed to Buddhasothorn Hospital. The bodies of the eight workers were taken by the rescuers to the hospital for an autopsy before being handed over to their relatives for religious rites.
The freight train No. 833, with its engine still running, was on the rail track. The train, loaded with containers, was en route from Lat Krabang inland container depot to the Laem Chabang Port.
Wichian Saengthapson, 58, the owner of the fish farm, said he had hired the workers to catch fish and expected their arrival by 2am. At 3am, he received news of the accident. At the farm, he had heard the train whistle multiple times but did not interpret it as a warning sound.
This incident adds to the list of major train accidents at railway crossings in Thailand. On Oct 11, 2020, a similar incident occurred when a bus carrying 57 passengers from Samut Prakan province to a tod krathin ceremony (the annual presentation of new robes to Buddhist monks) in Chachoengsao was hit by a freight train at a railway crossing in tambon Bang Toey, Muang district. Twenty passengers were killed, and 30 others were injured.
The accident highlights the importance of road safety and the need for greater awareness among drivers and passengers alike. It is essential to follow traffic rules, especially at railway crossings, to prevent such tragic incidents.
