Dozens of rescuers are searching for missing people in damaged train carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of the capital Bangkok.
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The death toll from a crane accident on a Chinese-backed high-speed rail project in Thailand has risen to at least 32, officials said on Wednesday, after a crane fell on a passenger train.
Dozens of rescuers are searching for missing people in damaged train carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of the capital Bangkok. Italian-Thai Development Company, one of Thailand's largest construction firms, had contracted to build a high-speed rail section at the site of the accident. The company has suffered several fatal accidents at its construction sites in recent years.
The company expressed its condolences to the dead and dozens of injured, and said it would compensate the families of the victims and cover medical expenses.
The Thai Health Ministry said 32 people had been confirmed dead as of Wednesday evening, with three missing. 64 people were hospitalized with injuries.
A local resident said he went to the scene after hearing two loud explosions and found a crane collapsed on a three-car train. "When the crane fell, the metal from it hit the middle of the second car and broke in half," the 54-year-old told AFP.
The accident occurred at a construction site that is part of a more than $5 billion project funded by China to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand.
Beijing's massive Belt and Road infrastructure initiative aims to connect Bangkok through Laos to Kunming in China by 2028.
Thirachote Rujiwiphat, an engineering consultant on the project, told AFP that "Italian-Thai Development" was responsible for the crane collapse.
Thailand's state-run railway operator said it would form a committee to investigate the incident within 15 days and that "those responsible will be brought to justice."
The railway operator also said it had ordered Italian-Thai to halt construction until the investigation is complete.
