A freight train crashed into a public bus at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 16, 2026, killing at least eight bus passengers and injuring between 25 and 35 people [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
The collision triggered a fire that engulfed the bus and nearby vehicles, including cars and motorcycles [1, 3, 4, 6, 9]. The freight train was carrying containers and was unable to stop before impact [4, 6]. The bus had been stopped on the tracks at a red light due to heavy traffic congestion, which prevented the crossing barriers from lowering [2, 4, 6, 10]. The Asoke-Din Daeng crossing is a busy intersection with over 100,000 vehicles passing daily. Motorcyclists frequently weave through barriers there to avoid delays [2, 4, 6].
The train driver tested positive for drugs after the collision and was charged with reckless driving or negligence causing death and injury [2, 7, 10]. The crossing barrier controller was also charged with negligence causing death and injury, although police have not finalized further charges as investigations continue [2, 6, 11, 7, 10]. Police are investigating the bus driver, railway crossing operator, and train driver while reviewing video footage and black box data from the train [2, 6, 7].
Thailand's rail transport department director-general Pichet Kunadhamraks said preliminary findings showed the train’s emergency brakes were only activated about 100 meters from the bus, insufficient to avoid the collision [2]. Bangkok police chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit confirmed the death toll as eight with 35 injured [8]. Metropolitan Police Bureau Commissioner Siam Boonsom said, "We see the official holding the red flag which means the track was not safe but we also see that the train did not stop or slow down, causing the crash" [10].
Structural Engineers Association president Dr Amorn Phimarnmas noted the risks taken at the crossing have become routine, saying, "People think 'it'll be fine' and carry on, until one day we end up with exactly the kind of disaster we've just seen" [2].
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered a government investigation into the crash and its causes [5, 12, 8].
On May 17 and 18, police charged the train driver and crossing barrier operator and continued investigations, including reviewing evidence and awaiting the bus driver's recovery before further questioning [2, 7, 10].
