Five die as truck hits train

RACHABURI: -- A 10-wheel truck crashed into the express train from Malaysia this morning in Ratchaburi province.

Initial reports said five people died - three in the truck, and two on the train. All were Thai.

About 25 other injured people were taken from the train to hospital near the accident for initial treatment.

Police said the truck apparently drove through the warning barricade, directly into the passing train. There were about 400 passengers on the train, said Montakan Sriwilas, a spokeswoman for State Railways of Thailand.

--Bangkok Post 2006-03-22

Update:

At least six dead in truck, train smash

A number of foreigners are said to be among the injured.

RATCHABURI: -- A truck and a passenger train collided on Wednesday at a railway crossing in the central province of Ratchaburi, killing at least six people and injuring more than 40 others.

At least 22 people were seriously hurt and taken to Ratchaburi hospital.

A number of foreigners are said to be among the injured.

The dead included three occupants of the 10-wheeled truck and at least two people on the train.

The train, with more than 400 passengers aboard, was heading for Bangkok’s Central Hua Lum Pong station from the northern Malaysian town of Butterworth, Penang, when the accident occurred.

Witnesses said the truck, carrying animal feed, drove through an automatic barrier at the crossing.

They said the driver was apparently distracted, focusing on the passengers of the truck rather than the road, when the deadly accident occurred.

The force of the collision caused three of the train's 14 cars to derail and plunge into a rice field.

--TNA 2006-03-22

I was there on car # 13... the hit was pretty intense, though

While listening to my car radio to the Thai-English news at 7:00, they reported that one foreigner was killed, but the nationality hadn't been determined. I wasn't paying very close attention when I heard it, but any updates would be appreciated.

Update:

At least six dead in truck, train smash

A number of foreigners are said to be among the injured.

RATCHABURI: -- A truck and a passenger train collided on Wednesday at a railway crossing in the central province of Ratchaburi, killing at least six people and injuring more than 40 others.

At least 22 people were seriously hurt and taken to Ratchaburi hospital.

A number of foreigners are said to be among the injured.

The dead included three occupants of the 10-wheeled truck and at least two people on the train.

The train, with more than 400 passengers aboard, was heading for Bangkok’s Central Hua Lum Pong station from the northern Malaysian town of Butterworth, Penang, when the accident occurred.

Witnesses said the truck, carrying animal feed, drove through an automatic barrier at the crossing.

They said the driver was apparently distracted, focusing on the passengers of the truck rather than the road, when the deadly accident occurred.

The force of the collision caused three of the train's 14 cars to derail and plunge into a rice field.

--TNA 2006-03-22

as in "The World According To Garp?"

I was there on car # 13... the hit was pretty intense, though

Very glad to hear you made it through alright, Oleg... the television news film showed it looked pretty bad. You're a lucky man...

I'm taking the same train myself (heading in the other direction) next month for Songkran...

Hoping for those critically injured to pull through...

Train vs truck: 6 dead, 20 critical

Six people were killed and almost 50 others injured after a train heading from northern Malaysia to Bangkok slammed into a truck yesterday in Ratchaburi's Muang district, police said.

The express train from the Malaysian town of Butterworth with more than 400 passengers onboard crashed into a speeding 10-wheel truck that had broken through barriers at a rail crossing in attempt to beat the train, said Lt-Colonel Kiattipong Damrongchaiwong of Muang Ratchaburi police station.

Three passengers on the train, including a foreign woman, and three people in the truck were killed and almost 50 were injured - 20 are still in a critical condition, the officer said.

The train was carrying mostly civil servants and foreigners, as well as 20 people headed for the anti-government rally in Bangkok, a railway officer said.

The accident stopped traffic on the rail line leading south from Bangkok, as work crews removed the train's locomotive and four bogies that had skewed off the rails on impact.

Sanith Prapasawat, a railway official leading the repair team, said it would take until midnight to clear the wreck and repair the track so that the line could be reopened.

He said the cost of the damage was estimated at Bt10 million.

The Nation

hope the rest revover speedily tooo!

abcnews.go.com

"All the fatalities but one, a Malaysian woman, aboard the train were from Thailand."

i wonder how long it will be before the trains are running again as it would be effecting alot of people the delays from this accident

Tragic.

I'm sure most people who use this board have used this train on many occasions.

i wonder how long it will be before the trains are running again as it would be effecting alot of people the delays from this accident

Your all heart arent you!!!!!!!!!!

RAB

Ten-wheeler racing with a train, cutting in front, raming through the barriers....

Sometimes people say that accidents like this are just Darwin's natural selection, but I doubt it will ever achieve anything with the constant supply of idiots like that. Maybe they should try driver education, or shoot them. <deleted> was he thinking, was it just a joke, or a Hollywood stunt?

i wonder how long it will be before the trains are running again as it would be effecting alot of people the delays from this accident

Your all heart arent you!!!!!!!!!!

RAB

He's got plans to be on that train around Songkran ..... but I was cutting him some slack because it actually does make problems for worthy folks that depend on the train.

Plus ... if only the driver was hurt he might qualify for a Darwin award .... this just qualifies for some real sadness. More people killed through one man's negligence/stupidity

Southen railway route reopened

RATCHABURI: -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) reopened the southern railway line late on Wednesday night, once the wrecks left behind after a collision between an express train and a 10-wheel truck had been cleared.

The train, from northern Malaysia heading to Bangkok, slammed into a speeding truck that had rammed through the barrier crossing in an attempt to beat the train in Ratchaburi's Muang district on Wednesday morning. Six people were killed and 50 others injured.

The train's locomotive and the bogie closest to it were damaged beyond repair, having crashed into a pile of sleepers stacked beside the rail line, a source said.

Another four bogies were salvaged for repair and should be back in service next week.

SRT officials in a preliminary assessment said the damage bill could be more than Bt200 million, the source said.

Some of those injured were released from hospital yesterday, while others remained under observation.

The SRT has said it will shoulder the expenses of the injured and the dead and then seek compensation from the truck's owner or insurance company.

--The Nation 2006-03-23