8 dead, 32 injured after freight train smashes into a bus in Thailand

BANGKOK — At least eight people were killed and 32 others were injured in ​Thailand on Saturday after a freight train struck a bus at ‌a rail crossing in Bangkok, igniting a fire that engulfed the vehicle, rescue officials and a deputy transport minister said.Firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched as flames engulfed the ​public bus and nearby vehicles close to the Airport Rail Link’s ​Makkasan station, officials said, adding that the crash also involved cars ⁠and motorcycles.Preliminary reports showed the bus had been stopped on the tracks ​at a red light, preventing crossing barriers from closing, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong ​Angkasakulkiat told reporters.The train, which was transporting containers, was unable to stop in time to avoid colliding with the bus, he added.“Eight people were killed and 32 injured, with the ​wounded being treated at various hospitals.All eight dead were on the ​bus,” he said.Videos shared on social media showed the train striking the bus and dragging ‌several ⁠other nearby vehicles along the tracks.“The bus was stuck at a red light, so it couldn’t move.

Cars were also blocked and unable to move forward,” Wanthong Kokpho, a motorcycle taxi driver who witnessed the crash, told Reuters.“The ​fire broke out immediately … ​If this ⁠had been a normal working day, the damage would have been much worse.”Rescue teams worked to pull injured victims from ​the wreckage as fire crews battled the blaze with ​water hoses, ⁠officials said.The fire was brought under control, and crews were cooling the area, venting gas and continuing to search for victims, they said.Authorities are investigating the ⁠cause ​of the incident.Thailand’s roads rank among the world’s ​deadliest, according to the World Health Organization, due to weak enforcement of safety standards....