Eighteen passengers were killed and 44 injured on Sunday when a bus collided with a train in Chachoengsao province, officials said, after earlier saying 20 had died.

The collision happened at about 8.05am at a railway crossing near Khlong Kwaeng Klan railway station, around 50 kilometres east of Bangkok, as the bus passengers were on their way to a temple for a ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, said a district police chief.

Provincial governor Maitree Tritilanond earlier told reporters that so far about 29 people were injured, but the number was revised upwards to 44, all but 13 of them discharged from hospital by early afternoon.




State Railway of Thailand governor Nirut Maneephan confirmed the death toll at the site of the crash to reporters.

Footage shared by a government department showed the bus edging from the road onto train tracks before a blue cargo train slammed into its side.

Early images by rescue workers showed twisted metal and debris, with bodies lying by the train tracks and people's belongings scattered.

The bus was overturned on its side, the top of it ripped off, and rescue workers said a crane was needed to lift it.



The train was travelling between Laem Chabang and Hua Takhae railway stations when it hit the bus at the railway crossing.

Witnesses said the railway crossing had no barrier, but they heard the noise of a train alarm shortly before the horrific crash.