Driver of train in deadly Bangkok bus collision tested positive for drugs

BANGKOK — The driver of a freight train that collided with a bus in Thailand’s capital, killing eight people, has tested positive for drugs and was charged with reckless driving, authorities said Monday. The collision, which happened at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing on Saturday afternoon, saw the train crash into a public transport bus that had come to a stop on the railway tracks. The bus burst into flames, killing eight people and injuring dozens. Initial reports suggest the bus had become stuck on the tracks due to heavy traffic, which prevented the crossing barriers from lowering properly. The Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing is notoriously hectic, and leads to one of the busiest intersections in Bangkok. Police charged the train driver, who was also injured, and a railway-crossing guard on Sunday with negligence causing injury and death, said Urumporn Koondejsumrit, chief of the local police station where the crash occurred. Both denied the charge, he told AFP. Urumporn said an initial urine test of the driver found illicit drugs in his system, without specifying which substances. Further testing would include the other driver and a technician aboard the train. Images on social media on Saturday showed the train approaching the level crossing at a moderate speed before colliding with the bus. Bangkok police chief Siam Boonsom said Sunday that there was traffic congestion at the crossing daily, but never an accident. Police were reviewing footage of the scene to determine whether the crossing guard was negligent, he told reporters. “We see the official holding the red flag which means the track was not safe but we also see that the train did not stop or slow down, causing the crash,” Siam said. Footage of the crash site on other days showed vehicles stopped on the track, with officials raising the red flag to signal to oncoming trains to stop until the traffic cleared, he said. Authorities were also investigating the speed of the train and its braking distance, Siam added. Dr Amorn Phimarnmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, said he estimates more than 100,000 vehicles pass through the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing every day. At the crossing, motorcyclists are often known to weave through safety barriers to beat traffic and avoid getting slowed down by passing trains. The tracks were built long before the surrounding roads, and the city has grown around them, giving way to “risk normalization”, Amorn says. “It’s when risk becomes routine. People think ‘it’ll be fine’ and carry on, until one day we end up with exactly the kind of disaster we’ve just seen.”