Bangkok: At least 22 people have been killed after a crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, causing it to derail and briefly catch fire, authorities said Wednesday, AFP reported.

The incident occurred around 9:00 a.m. local time (2:00 a.m. GMT) in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok. The train, travelling from the capital to Ubon Ratchathani province in the country’s northeast, was struck by a crane that was part of a high-speed rail construction project, according to local police and media reports.

“Construction crane for high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto moving passenger train in Sikhiu, Nakhon Ratchasima this morning (14 Jan) at 9:05 am. Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages. Multiple rescue teams deployed,” the Thai government said in a post on its official X account.

Rescue workers are working to “cut and extricate” injured passengers from the wreckage, moving them to nearby hospitals as quickly as possible. Officials said the operation is challenging because parts of the crane had become tightly entangled with the train’s structure.

Local authorities said the fire on the train was quickly extinguished, and rescue teams were working to free passengers who remained trapped in the carriages. While some reports initially cited a death toll of 12, AFP news agency, quoting Nakhon Ratchasima provincial police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong, confirmed that at least 22 people had died in the accident.

"Twenty-two people were killed and more than 30 were injured," a local police chief in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thatchapon Chinnawong, told AFP.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said 195 people were on board the train and authorities were rushing to identify the deceased.

The crane was being used in the construction of a $5.4-billion project to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand, backed by Beijing, which aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of China's vast "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative.

Industrial and construction site accidents have long been common in Thailand, where lax enforcement of safety regulations often leads to deadly incidents. (AFP)