Train driver charged after crash in Bangkok, Thailand kills 8

BANGKOK — 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.

“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 Organization, due to ‌weak enforcement of safety standards.