Train Crash Kills 8, Injures 35 in Bangkok Bus Collision

Eight people are dead and 35 have been injured after a train ploughed into the side of a public bus in Bangkok on Saturday.

The impact pushed several cars and motorcycles along the tracks into oncoming traffic before the bus became engulfed in flames.

What's next?

Thailand's prime minister has ordered a formal investigation into the incident, which will examine a range of issues, including whether safety barriers were lowered at the crossing.

A collision between a train and a public bus in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, has killed at least eight people and injured 35 others.

The crash happened late on Saturday afternoon near an airport railway station in central Bangkok, which is transited by tens of thousands of vehicles each day.

Footage of the incident shared on social media shows a group of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles and an orange bus, queuing across a railway line, before a cargo train suddenly ploughs into the side of the bus and through the rest of the group.

The impact pushes several cars and motorcycles along the tracks into oncoming traffic before the bus becomes engulfed in flames.

Fire fighters and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene, entering the bus once the flames were brought under control.

Crews remain at the wreckage venting gas and continuing to search for victims.

Bangkok police chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit confirmed the death toll on Saturday evening.

"The fire is now out and we are trying to recover the bodies," he said.

'I heard something hitting my car'

Witness Kittipong Raksa said he had parked his car near the train tracks when he heard the signal indicating the train was about to pass.

"I heard a thud and then another. I heard something hitting my car," Mr Raksa said.

"Then I saw the train pass, dragging the bus with it."

Mr Raksa said he found someone with a broken leg caught under his car after the collision, and had not seen any of the rail crossing's safety barriers lowered.

Government orders investigation

Thailand's Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the eight people confirmed to have died were all passengers on the bus, and it was still unclear how many people were on board each vehicle.

When asked about reports that the rail crossing's safety barriers had not lowered properly, Mr Siripong said that matter would be investigated.

A statement from the office of Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said an investigation had been ordered into the incident.