Image source, Reuters

Twenty-eight people have died after a crane collapsed on a moving train in central Thailand.

If you're just joining us, here's what we covered today:

• A construction crane collapsed on a moving train in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province
• Authorities say64 people are injured - seven of them seriously. They include passengers as old as one year old and as old as 85. All passengers have been removed from the scene
• Photos and videos from the scene show dramatic footage of the overturned train
• An eyewitness said the train appeared to be sliced in half by the crane. A staff member on the train said he was thrown into the air by the impact

• The crane had been working on a high-speed rail project linking Thailand to China

• Thai authorities have ordered an investigation into the crash, which comes after a series of other fatal accidents blamed on safety lapses

• Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul has called for someone to be "punished and held accountable"

We're closing our live coverage now, but you can read more about the story here. Today's page was brought to you by Yvette Tan, Joel Guinto, Koh Ewe, Kelly Ng, Fan Wang and Tessa Wong from Singapore. Thank you for joining us.

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand has said that no Chinese construction companies or workers were involved in the collapse, Chinese state media report.

As we reported earlier, the collapsed crane had been working on a high-speed rail project linking Thailand and China.

The section where the collapse happened had been constructed by a Thai company, China's foreign ministry said earlier today.

Every now and then, deadly accidents involving crane collapses have made headlines in Thailand. Here are some that occured over the past two years:

Last August, another crane collapsed on a different section of Rama II Road, injuring three people and disrupting traffic.

In November 2024, six people died after a construction crane and concrete segments collapsed on Rama II Road, a major road connecting Bangkok to districts in southern Thailand.

The crane had been part of the construction of an expressway above Rama II Road.

In March 2024, at least six people construction workers were killed after a crane collapsed at a steel factory construction site in the eastern province of Rayong.

Image source, Reuters

At 09:13 local time (02:13 GMT), train departed from Nong Nam Khun station in Nakhon Ratchasima province. As it was about to reach the next station, it was struck by a falling construction crane.

The crane had been working on a high-speed rail project linking Thailand and China.

The impact caused one train carriage to derail and another to catch fire.

The train had set off from Bangkok and was headed to Ubon Ratchathani province.

At the time of the accident, it was carrying mostly students and workers travelling for school and work in other districts, BBC Thai reported.

The health ministry said around noon local time that authorities had evacuated all individuals from the scene.

28 people have since died and 64 have been injured - seven of them seriously.

The death toll has risen to 28, according to the latest update from the provincial public health office.

Sixty-four people are injured, seven of them severely.

We'll continue to bring you the latest on this story. Stick with us.

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Mark Gooding, the British Ambassador to Thailand, says he is "deeply saddened by the tragic incident".

"My thoughts are with all those affected. The UK stands with Thailand at this difficult time," he wrote in a post on X.

Gooding became the ambassador to Thailand in 2021. He was previously the ambassador to Cambodia.

Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul has called for "someone [to] be punished and held accountable" for the incident.

While the cause of the accident remains unclear, Anutin said he believed it could be due to a few factors, likely related to negligence, according to BBC Thai.

He pointed out that the project had experienced "several incidents before", citing a tunnel collapse about a year ago.

"Accidents like this can only happen due to negligence, skipped steps, deviations from the design, or the use of incorrect materials," he said.

Anutin added that officials would "need to investigate whether there were any construction errors or deviations from proper procedures".

Here are the latest casualty numbers from the public health ministry:

The death toll remains at 22, while 64 people are injured. Eight of those injuries are severe.

Most of the passengers on the train were students and workers travelling from Pak Chong railway station to other districts, BBC Thai reported.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health said that among the severely injured were a one-year-old and an 85-year-old.

Many of the seriously injured suffered wounds on their head, face, chest and leg fractures.

The State Railway of Thailand has made changes to more than a dozen train services after the crane collapse.

Two train services have been cancelled, while 12 train services will have their routes changed.

Passengers who have purchased tickets for the affected routes are entitled to a full refund, the state-owned railway operator said in a statement.

Here are some photos of the rescue operation today, posted by Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation:

Image source, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

Image source, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

Image source, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

Image source, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation

The Chinese government said it is verifying relevant information about the accident, which occurred during the construction of a railway project linking Thailand and China.

At a daily press briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of projects and personnel, adding that according to its current understanding, the section involved was being constructed by a Thai company.

Image source, Getty Images

Tessa Wong and Lulu Luo

The incident took place on a US$5.4bn (£4bn) high-speed rail project that would connect Bangkok to Kunming in China.

Known officially as the Bangkok-Nong Khai HSR Development for Regional Connectivity, its website, external lists an Italian-Thai Development Company as the firm in charge of the Lam Takhong-Sikhio section where the incident took place.

The company is one of Thailand's biggest contractors and is the same firm that was behind the Bangkok building which collapsed last March during an earthquake. Last year the company's president and several designers and engineers were charged with professional negligence over that incident.

We have contacted representatives from the Italian-Thai Development Company asking for a response.

Yvette Tan
Live editor

Image source, HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock

At least 22 people have been killed after a construction crane fell on a moving train, causing it to derail.

If you're just joining us, here's what to know:

• More than 60 people have been injured - eight of them seriously
• There had been 195 passengers on board the train, based on its seating plan
• The train had been travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province in north-eastern Thailand
• All passengers have been removed from the scene, authorities said
• Here's a video of rescuers clambering over the derailed train, where passengers were trapped after the accident

• Thailand's transport minister has ordered an investigation into the incident. Thailand is no stranger to deadly construction accidents, due in part to weak enforcement of safety standards and regulations
• A staff member on the train said he was thrown into the air when the crane fell. Another eyewitness said the train carriage was "sliced in half"

The accident occured around 09:00 (02:00 GMT) this morning, in Ban Thanon Khot in Nakhon Ratchasima province, north of the capital Bangkok.

Nakhon Ratchasima is one of Thailand's largest provinces by size, with a population of about 2.6 million. It is north-eastern Thailand's main transportation hub and economic centre.

The youngest among the dozens injured is a one-year-old, while the oldest is 59, hospital officials in Sikhio, Nakhon Ratchasima province, told BBC Thai.

We earlier reported than more than 80 people were wounded from the collision. Fifty-five of them are being treated at the hospital in Sikhio for their injuries. Most of them sustained minor injuries and are currently under observation. Six people who are seriously injured had been transferred to other hospitals, officials say.

Image source, Getty Images

Thirasak Wongsoongnern, a member of staff on the train, told local media outlet Thairath Online that the train had three carriages. He said the first carriage was not damaged, while the other two - where most of the deaths and injuries occurred - were hit.

He added that the train was travelling at about 120km/h (74mph) when the accident occured. When the crane fell, he and the other passengers were thrown into the air.

Thirasak said he rushed to help passengers afterwards but was unable to reach the second carriage because it was on fire.

Local news outlet The Nation is reporting that the incident happened around 09:30 local time (02:30 GMT), when the crane was lifting a large concrete segment.

The crane then dropped the load on the train, causing four coaches to derail. The Nation reported that the first two coaches sustained the most damage as they were struck by the concrete segment, while the third and fourth coach were damaged and detached from the train.

Footage from the scene shows rescuers clambering over the broken train and examining it. The collision caused a fire and hydraulic cutters had to be used to free trapped passengers, according to a Bangkok Post report.

Deadly construction accidents are not uncommon in Thailand, due in part to poor enforcement of standards and regulations.

In 2023, a freight train collided with a pick-up truck that was crossing railway tracks in the country's east, killing eight people and injuring four others.

Last year, a high-rise construction site in Bangkok collapsed after an earthquake, killing more than 100 people and drawing attention to long-standing flaws in the sector.

According to a study by the Workmen's Compensation Fund in 2022, more than 4,500 workers were killed or injured in construction accidents the previous year.