A crane collapse in Thailand on Wednesday caused a train derailment, killing at least 22 people. Police said the fire has been extinguished and rescue operations are ongoing. “Twenty-two people were killed and more than 30 injured,” Thatchapon Chinnawong, a local police chief in Nakhon Ratchasima province, told news agency AFP. Meanwhile, the province’s public relations department said on Facebook that four bodies have been recovered so far. Transport minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said 195 passengers were on board, and authorities are working to identify the deceased. The accident occurred Wednesday morning in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok, on a passenger train traveling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province. Live footage broadcast by local media showed rescue workers at the site, with a brightly colored train lying on its side and smoke rising from the wreckage.The crane was part of a $5.4-billion high-speed rail project in Thailand, supported by China. The network is planned to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028, as part of China’s broader Belt and Road Initiative.
