Another accident involving a tourist van and a train in Kanchanaburi province within the space of a week has left six people injured.
The latest incident took place on a railway crossing in tambon Tha Makham of Muang district on Sunday.
The van carrying six female doctors and medical staff from Camillian Hospital in Bangkok was crossing the track at a spot where barrier and warning lights had been broken, when a train full of local and foreign commuters collided with the middle part of the vehicle.
The van was bounced off the track by the impact and six passengers on board sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The van driver, Laur Chadadum, 52, was taking the six women to make merit at a Buddhist temple located in the district at the time of the crash.
Mr Laur cut in front of the train and passed the crossing slowly. He appeared not to see the aprroaching train nor hear the sound of its whistle, said Pol Lt Col Chuvit Chareonnak, an investigator at Muang Kanchanaburi police station.
The crossing once had barriers and warning lights but they had been broken for a long time. Further investigation is underway, the officer said.
The train was en route from Bangkok’s Thon Buri station to Nam Tok station in Sai Yok district of this western province.
The accident followed a similar crash between a passenger van and a train travelling on the same route on a railway crossing in Sai Yok last Monday. A woman tourist on board the van was killed and 10 other people were injured in the incident. The van driver was also reportedly unaware that he was driving past the track because there was no barrier or warning lights.