Eighteen Foreign Tourists injured when Train Derails in Phrae -Video

Passengers carry their belonging as they leave form a derailed train in Phrae province, northern Thailand

 

 

PHRAE –  More than 30 passengers were injured when their Bangkok-Chiang Mai special express train derailed in Den Chai district of Phrae province in the northern Thailand on Wednesday morning.

The Bangkok-Chiang Mai express service was carrying almost 300 passengers when seven carriages came off the tracks in the northern province of Phrae.

Eighteen foreign tourists suffered minor injuries, including visitors from Australia, France, Spain, China, Japan and the United States, as carriages toppled onto their sides.

Public Relations Chief of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), Nuan-anong Wongjan, told reporters that the accident occurred at about 3:45am when seven carriages, comprising five second-class air-conditioned sleeping cars, one first-class sleeping car and one air-conditioned dining car, went off the tracks.

He said he believed it might have been due to the deteriorated condition of a bend in the tracks, where trains are usually required to lower their speed.

As a result of the derailment, both Chiang Mai- and Bangkok-bound trains are terminating services at Sila-at railway station in Uttaradit province, where passengers are being transferred to their destinations by bus.

Wongjan said one passenger was seriously injured. The rest suffered minor injuries and were provided free transport to their destinations.

Another Bangkok-bound train from Chiang Mai derailed early this month but no one was injured.

The Bangkok-Chiang Mai train is popular among foreign tourists.