Truck collides with train in Thailand: 5 killed, dozens injured

A small truck crashed into a passenger train Wednesday in central Thailand, killing at least five people and injuring about two dozen others, rail officials said.

Photo: Truck collides with train in Thailand: 5 killed, dozens injured

The train, which originated from the northern Malaysian town of Butterworth, was headed to Bangkok with more than 400 passengers, said Montakan Sriwilas, a spokeswoman for State Railways of Thailand.

The victims included three people aboard the truck and at least two passengers on the train, all of Thai nationality.

The truck, a 10-wheeled vehicle carrying animal feed, drove through an automatic barrier at a railway crossing that had raised from the ground to indicate a train was passing.

The collision, which forced three of the train's 14 cars to derail, occurred at about 9 a.m. (0200 GMT) as the train sped through the town of Ratchaburi, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Bangkok, reports the AP.

I.L.