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A man was charged with negligence after the freight train he was driving collided with a bus at a railway crossing in central Bangkok on Saturday, killing eight people and injuring 32.
The public bus had stopped on the tracks near an airport rail station, authorities said, and it burst into flames when the cargo train crashed into it.
Rescue crews could enter the charred vehicle only after the fire was controlled.
“The train driver has been charged with negligence causing death as evidence clearly indicates reckless conduct leading to fatalities,” Urumporn Koondejsumrit, head of the local Makkasan police station, said.
The bus driver is also expected to face charges once he recovers enough to be questioned.
Investigators are still examining whether to bring more charges.
Deputy transport minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said preliminary findings suggested the bus had stopped on the tracks at a red light, preventing the crossing barriers from lowering properly.
He added that the train, which was transporting containers, “was unable to stop in time to avoid the crash”.
The collision triggered a fire that engulfed the bus as well as several cars nearby.
Eyewitnesses described confusion and panic at the crossing. “I heard a thud and then another. I heard something hitting my car. Then I saw the train pass, dragging the bus with it,” Kittipong Raksa, who had parked near the tracks, said.
After the collision, he found a person caught under his car, with a broken leg.
Mr Raksa added that he did not see the barriers lowering before the collision.
Another commuter, Thanphisit Nawatkonoangkoon, told Reuters the accident “should not have happened”.
“I want all drivers to understand traffic laws properly,” he said.
Forensic authorities said the eight victims were so badly burned that conventional identification methods such as fingerprints, dental records, and eye scans could not be used.
Wirun Supasingsiripreecha, head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, said they were now relying on DNA samples from relatives to confirm the identities of the victims, an exercise that they expected to complete by Tuesday.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority announced monetary compensation for the relatives of the dead as well as for the survivors, the Bangkok Post reported.
According to the WHO, Thailand’s roads are among the deadliest in the world because of very weak enforcement of safety standards. Earlier this year, 31 people were killed and 64 were injured when a construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train travelling from Bangkok to the country’s northeast.
