Train driver charged after crash in Bangkok, Thailand kills 8

AsiaTrain driver charged after crash in Bangkok, Thailand kills 8Evidence “clearly indicates reckless conduct leading ⁠to fatalities,” police said after a freight train collided with a public bus in central Bangkok.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Investigators examine the site of a train crash near an airport rail link station in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 16.Sakchai Lalit / AP Photo/Sakchai LalitShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 17, 2026, 9:33 AM EDTBy ReutersBANGKOK — Thai police have charged ​a train driver with negligence after a crash on Saturday in central Bangkok in which a freight train collided with a public bus ⁠at a rail crossing, killing eight people and injuring 32.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“The train driver has been charged with negligence causing death, as evidence clearly indicates reckless conduct leading ⁠to fatalities,” Urumporn Koondejsumrit, ​head of ⁠the Makkasan Police Station, told Reuters.He said the bus driver would also be ⁠charged, but remained under medical treatment and could not ​be ⁠questioned, so charges had ‌not yet been filed.Investigators are examining whether additional charges may be brought, he said.On Saturday, the freight ‌train struck a bus that ‌had been stopped on the tracks at a red light, sparking a fire that engulfed the vehicle and dragging several ⁠nearby vehicles along the tracks.The site has been cleared and services restored, while authorities will tighten safety measures and oversight to prevent a repeat, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a statement.Commuters said they had long feared a collision, as ‌vehicles kept passing through the crossing despite stop ​signals.“It should not have happened. I ‌want all drivers ⁠to understand traffic laws properly,” said Thanphisit Nawatkonoangkoon, a ⁠20-year-old train commuter.Thailand’s roads rank among the world’s deadliest, ‌according to the World ​Health Orga...