The State Railway of Thailand is investigating why the driver of a Bangkok-Den Chai locomotive ran a stop signal and smashed into a parked train in Ayutthaya province last night, injuring 17 people.
SRT governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra inspected the crash site in Phachi district on Friday and said that the driver of train No. 107 ignored the signal sent from the Map Phrajan station and collided with train No. 69, which had been running from Bangkok to Nong Khai, but had stopped for brake repairs.
Seventeen people were hurt and a locomotive and three cars were damaged in Thursday's wreck.(Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
He said he would form a fact-finding committee and the driver would be punished later. Identified as Sompol Kanbanchee, 48, he was injured and treated at Ayutthaya Hospital on Friday.
The SRT reported that the collision happened between Map Phrajan and Phra Kaeo train stations at about 10.15pm on Thursday. The state enterprise celebrated the 118th anniversary of train services the same day.
Seventeen people were hurt and a locomotive and three cars were damaged. The incident did not halt rail service as there are three tracks. Damage was estimated at about 80 million baht.
At about 10.30am on Friday, the locomotive of another Bangkok-Den Chai train caught fire en route in Tha Rua district of Ayutthaya. The fire was put out and about 300 passengers were moved to another train.
(Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)