The flashing-light signals at Khlong Kwaeng Klan, where a freight train crashed into a chartered tour bus on Sunday (Oct 11), were not working when the collision took place, according to several local residents living close by.
“They haven’t been working for a long time,” said 60-year-old Sukhum Chamroen.
“The mist of rain was very thick that day,” he told CNA. “It’s hard to see.”
According to Sukhum, local residents of Khlong Kwaeng Klan in Chachoengsao province are aware of the railway tracks but travellers from other areas might miss them.
“Only locals will know to be careful at this spot,” he added.
On Sunday, a freight train crashed into a bus when it was passing through Khlong Kwaeng Klan, about 60km east of Bangkok. There were about 60 passengers in the bus travelling from Samut Prakan province to a temple in Chachoengsao.
According to Chachoengsao police, 19 people were killed and 39 others were injured. Ten people are still in hospital with two in the intensive care unit.
Police on Monday suggested various reasons for the crash. At a press conference in Chachoengsao, they said it was possible the bus driver was not familiar with the junction and that loud music was being played in the bus.
Police also noted that there was no barricade to stop vehicles from crossing the tracks when trains approach. Only a stop sign and flashing-light signals were present.
Local resident Suchart Kongcharoen told CNA he heard loud music from the bus when it passed by his house shortly before the crash occurred.
“I heard very loud music,” the 61-year-old said. “Less than 20 minutes later, I heard the siren from rescue trucks.”
As for the light signals, railway officers are still unsure if they were flashing at the time of the collision.
“It is yet to be verified if the light signals were flashing then,” Thakun Intharachom, train service operations director of the State Railway of Thailand, told CNA on Monday.
“However, they are not the reason for road users to ignore the stop sign at that spot,” he said, adding road users are required by the Road Traffic Act to come to halt at the stop sign.
Several local residents are still shaken by the tragedy. Those who live close to the crash site said they heard a loud noise when the train and the bus collided.
“I heard the train make a warning sound from afar. Soon enough, I heard ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’. I didn’t know at that time it had hit a bus,” said Wichai Prasomboon from Khlong Kwaeng Klan.
“It was unusually loud. So I came out to see. It was raining too. There were so many bodies,” he added.
According to Wichai, the chartered bus was hit and it overturned. Its rear section was hit several times by a number of shipping containers pulled by the train.
“People were screaming. Those who could walk were covered in blood,” he said.
“The picture is still clear in my mind, and so is the noise, ‘Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!’,” Wichai added.
“I feel sorry for them. They were going to make merit at Bang Pla Nak Temple, which is just 2km away.” – CNA
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