Thai train slams bus off tracks, killing 18

A train collided with a bus in central Thailand on Sunday morning, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 40, AFP reports.

Thai police said 60 passengers on the chartered bus were going to a temple 50km from Bangkok. They were planning to offer yellow robes to the temple monks, in a traditional ceremony held at the end of Buddhist Lent.

Footage shared by a government department showed the bus edging from the road onto train tracks before a blue cargo train slammed into it, toppling it over and ripping part of its roof off.

Early photos taken by rescue workers showed twisted metal and scattered debris all around the bus, with bodies and personal belongings lying by the tracks.

Dozens of injured passengers were rushed to nearby medical facilities for treatment.

Cranes arrived early in the afternoon to remove the bus from the tracks.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha gave his condolences and called for a thorough investigation.

Such deadly accidents are common in Thailand, which regularly tops lists of the world’s most lethal roads, with speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.

Travel throughout the kingdom has been particularly hazardous this weekend after a huge storm blasted the region, leaving roads in poor condition and some provinces deluged in knee-high floods.