After second blast, bomb disposal officers scour area near derailed train
The State Railway of Thailand has temporarily suspended its plan to salvage the derailed freight train in Songkhla’s Sadao district after the second blast killed three workers and injured four others on Tuesday.
Bomb disposal officers were deployed on Wednesday to inspect the area for more bombs, following a request from railway staff.
Meanwhile, Songkhla provincial police and security officers were deployed to ensure security at the scene until the inspection and repairs were completed.
Officers collected gas tank pieces weighing 4 kilograms, a 1.5 volt battery, electric wires, plugs and 8 millimetres of steel bar at the scene.
Tuesday’s blast occurred at about 6.30am while engineers were inspecting the wreckage of a train that derailed after a blast on Saturday.
Train No 707 was travelling from Songkhla’s Hat Yai district to Padang Besar in Malaysia when a bomb blast caused to to derail as it approached Khlong Ngae railway station at 12.50pm on Saturday.
Eleven of its 20 containers left the track, which was also severely damaged. No staff were injured in the incident.
However, the blast on Tuesday morning was deadly. Besides the three killed in the blast, another four engineers were injured. The blast occurred just meters from the site where the train derailed on Saturday.
Related stories:
- 3 killed in Songkhla blast while salvaging train derailed by earlier bombing
- Freight train to Malaysia derails in Songkhla, investigation underway
- Train travel suspended between Thailand and Malaysia after Saturday’s bomb blast
