CHIANG MAI — Seven people were killed and two injured after a Chiang Mai-bound train hit their truck in Saraphi district Tuesday evening.
The accident involving a Chiang Mai-registered pickup and the Nakhon Ping express train occurred at a railway crossing in Soi Local Road near Saraphi hospital at 5.30pm during heavy rain. The crossing was equipped with signs and warning signals but no barriers.
Police quoted witnesses as saying that the pickup carrying nine people cut in front of the moving train but was struck before it could cross the tracks. Police said the driver may not have seen the train due to the heavy rain.
Seven people, five men and two women, died instantly. Two others, one of them seriously injured, were taken to Saraphi hospital.
Police said the deceased and injured were construction workers at a nearby temple and their identities and nationalities were currently unknown as police could not find ID cards or other documents at the scene.
The accident forced the train to stop for 30 minutes before it travelled on.