A freight train collided with a public bus at a level crossing in central Bangkok on Saturday afternoon, killing at least eight people, injuring at least 15 others, and setting the bus ablaze in one of the most deadly road-rail collisions the Thai capital has seen in years.
The crash happened at around 3:40 p.m. on Asok-Din Daeng Road in Ratchathewi district, on a stretch between the Rama IX intersection and the Asok-Phetchaburi intersection, near the Airport Rail Link’s Makkasan Station. Traffic had formed a queue at the railway crossing when the freight train ploughed into the orange public bus at the front of the line, according to several news sources. The impact dragged several nearby vehicles along the tracks. The bus immediately caught fire, and a number of motorcycles and their riders were thrown onto the road.
Emergency crews from Phaya Thai Fire Station arrived at the scene by 3:51 p.m. and brought the fire under control within minutes — though not before the bus was left a charred shell. The blaze was confirmed extinguished by 3:59 p.m. Rescue workers then entered the burned-out vehicle to recover victims. Officials found eight people dead at the scene. Of the 15 people confirmed injured, two were described as seriously hurt and transported to hospital for treatment.
Damaged vehicles and a burned-out public bus at the freight train collision site on Asok-Din Daeng Road near Makkasan Station, Bangkok. Photo Courtesy: CTPost
Bangkok’s Erawan Medical Center, the city’s central emergency coordination authority, reported that the total number of people injured across the scene — including those from private cars and motorcycles caught up in the collision — may exceed 20, according to several news sources. The higher figure likely reflects the broader count from all hospitals and emergency units involved. Police and other relevant agencies sealed off the area to begin gathering evidence, identify victims, and determine the cause of the accident. No official cause has been announced as of the time of publication.
The crossing on Asok-Din Daeng Road sits in a dense, heavily trafficked part of the city, and Saturday afternoon would typically see high civilian traffic volume in the area. Videos circulating on social media showed vehicles lined up at the crossing before the impact, with the freight train striking the bus at speed. The bus, an orange public transit vehicle, was immediately enveloped in flame. Bystander footage also captured the sound of intermittent popping from the burning vehicle as firefighters worked to contain the fire.
Saturday’s collision is the latest in a string of rail safety incidents that have put Thailand’s railway infrastructure back under the spotlight. In January 2026, a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province’s Sikhio district, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more — the deadliest single rail accident in Thailand in recent memory. That disaster drew widespread criticism of safety standards on infrastructure projects linked to the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed rail development.
Thailand’s rail crossing safety record has long been a source of concern. According to figures previously published by the State Railway of Thailand, there were 437 major accidents at train crossings between 2005 and 2021, with roughly 44 percent of those occurring at unofficial or unauthorized crossings that lack proper signaling equipment. There are approximately 2,697 level crossings across Thailand’s 4,000-kilometer rail network, of which 693 were classified as unauthorized. The status of the Asok-Din Daeng crossing — whether it is an officially designated crossing with functioning signals — had not been confirmed by authorities at the time of publication.
Thailand’s Department of Rail Transport and the State Railway of Thailand have faced persistent pressure to accelerate the installation of safety barriers and automatic gates at crossings across the country, a process that has moved slowly due to funding constraints and, in some cases, community resistance to crossing closures.
Police have launched a formal investigation into Saturday’s crash. No arrests or charges had been announced as of Saturday evening. Authorities said they are working to identify all victims and establish the sequence of events that led to the collision.
