Broken railway signal, lack of gate blamed for deadly accident in Chachoengsao killing 18
The tragic accident on Sunday in Chachoengsao province that left 18 people dead on Sunday, when a train rammed into a tourist bus, stemmed from a broken crossing signal and the lack of the gate, the Department of Rail Transport said.
High-ranking officials, including Pichet Kunadhamraks, the department’s deputy direct-general, and Nirut Maneephan, governor of the State Railway of Thailand, visited the accident site.
They found that the broken signal was the reason why a freight train transporting containers crashed into a bus with 60 passengers.
Twent-nine people were injured.
The department is studying guidelines to lessen accidents on railroad crossings.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob confirmed that the SRT's budget for installing gates at railroad crossings had been cut by the panel studying the draft of Budget Procedures Act for fiscal 2020.
