At least 32 people have been killed and injured after a construction crane collapsed onto a moving train carrying more than 200 passengers in Thailand’s northeast, renewing concerns over construction safety in the country, following a fatal building collapse last year.

Such incidents are not uncommon in Thailand, reflecting a crisis in construction safety oversight. The contractor involved in the latest incident was responsible for the collapse of a partially completed 33-story building last year.

On 14 January, diesel train No. 21 (Bangkok - Ubon Ratchathani), which just departed from Nakorn Rachasima’s Nong Nam Khun Station, reportedly collided with a fallen crane. The impact caused carriages to derail and catch fire. At the time of the incident, 171 passengers were on board; at least 32 people were killed, 66 injured, and three remain missing.

The crane was being used in the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the Lao border to Bangkok. The railway is a joint project of the Thai and Chinese governments. The agreement was signed by former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s administration on 12 May 2016. The project is divided into multiple phases with different contractors.

The project is overseen by a Construction Supervision Consultant consortium (China Railway International Co., Ltd.) and China Railway Design Corporation, but the construction site where the crane collapsed is handled by Italian-Thai Development, chaired by Premchai Karnasuta.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) provided 80,000 baht in compensation per fatality. In a statement, Italian Thai also vowed to provide assistance and compensation for the families of the deceased and those injured in this incident.

PM Anutin Charnvirakul stated that the investigation is ongoing.  He also said that someone must be punished for this tragic incident, adding that the contractor and SRT must be held accountable.

Last year, Thailand witnessed the collapse of a 33-storey building, the only structure to collapse during a fatal earthquake, resulting in the deaths of nearly a hundred workers.  The construction project was the joint venture of Italian-Thai and China Railway No. 10 (Thailand).

China Railway No.10 is a subsidiary of China Railway International Co., Ltd., the same company overseeing the high-speed railway in the latest tragedy. Legal proceedings from the building collapse are still ongoing in the court, and Italian Thai’s chairperson was just granted provisional bail after being sentenced for allegedly committing 60 wrongdoings in the case.

Such incidents are not uncommon in Thailand. According to The Reporter Journey, there have been five incidents involving Italian-Thai Development projects since 2017, resulting in approximately 128 deaths. Despite this, the company has continued to receive numerous state concessions.

In addition, similar incidents involving the collapse of launching trusses have occurred twice: in July 2023 during the construction of the Lat Krabang- On Nut elevated roadway and during the construction of the Rama II elevated roadway in 2024. These tragedies highlight serious issues regarding the safety standards of large-scale construction projects, particularly in public areas.