A northbound train departing from Bangkok encountered a derailment when a construction crane toppled onto one of its carriages near Ban Thanon Khot in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Nakhon Ratchasima Public Relations reported on Facebook that eight individuals are in critical condition at the hospital, 19 have sustained moderate injuries, and 37 passengers suffered minor injuries.

“Medical care has been provided to the injured,” the statement said.

“Authorities are currently working to identify the deceased.”

Transport Minister Piphat Ratchakitprakan confirmed that 195 passengers were on board the train and has initiated an investigation into the incident.

The mishap took place around 9 a.m. local time (1 p.m. AEDT) when a crane involved in the construction of a high-speed rail bridge collapsed.

Some of the passengers were school students, according to authorities.

Photos published in Thai media showed plumes of white then dark smoke above the scene, and construction equipment hanging down from between two concrete support pillars.

Rescue workers stood on top of overturned carriages, some of them with gaping holes torn in their sides, video from public broadcaster ThaiPBS showed.

What appeared to be sections of the crane were scattered along the track. Meanwhile, paramedics gave first aid to injured passengers.

Thai media reported the train had three carriages, the last two being the most damaged.

The derailment occurred on part of an ambitious planned high-speed rail project that will eventually connect China with much of South-East Asia.

The elevated segment that collapsed is a part of a Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project linking the national capital Bangkok to the north-eastern province of Nong Khai, bordering Laos.

The two-stage rail project has a total investment cost of more than 520 billion baht ($24.7 billion) and is associated with an ambitious plan to connect China with South-East Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

A map of the proposed route shows the railway would connect Bangkok with the Laos capital of Vientiane and Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province.

A joint commitment between the Thai and Chinese governments, the railway would use “Chinese construction technologies and railway systems” but would be financed and built by Thailand.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers. Days of heavy rainfall were believed to have been a factor in the collapse.