In Thailand on Wednesday, a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train, killing at least 22 people, police said. According to the State Railway of Thailand, the express train, carrying 195 passengers, was traveling through Nakhon Ratchasima province in the country’s northeast when the structure fell onto the cars.
As clarified by Sikhiu district police chief Colonel Thatchaphon Chinnawong, at least 22 people were killed and about 80 others were injured. He said the crane fell from a height of roughly 65 feet.
Authorities said the cause of the incident is being investigated. Images released by the railway agency show rescue workers operating amid mangled carriages, as well as a large construction structure towering above the tracks.
Photographs published by the State Railway of Thailand on social media show rescue workers inspecting the mangled carriages of the train.
Acting Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the authorities were investigating the causes of the incident and promised punishment if violations were found. “This was an engineering failure—not a natural disaster or the result of environmental factors,” he said at a press conference.
Construction was carried out as part of a high-speed rail network project intended, in the long term, to link Thailand with China via Laos. According to Thai media, the project is being implemented with the support of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese infrastructure projects have already drawn scrutiny in Thailand over the past year, when a building under construction collapsed in Bangkok during an earthquake. Dozens of workers were killed.