Driver of crashed train tested positive for drugs, Thai police say

The operator of a freight bid progressive successful a fatal collision with a nationalist autobus successful Bangkok has tested affirmative for drugs and been charged with reckless driving, authorities say.

The collision, which happened astatine the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing connected Saturday afternoon, saw the bid clang into a nationalist autobus that had travel to a halt connected the railway tracks.

The autobus burst into flames, sidesplitting 8 radical and injuring dozens. Initial reports suggest the autobus had go stuck connected the tracks owed to dense traffic, which prevented the crossing barriers from lowering properly.

The Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing is notoriously hectic, and leads to 1 of the busiest intersections successful Bangkok.

Both the autobus operator and the defender liable for lowering the obstruction - which is done manually - person besides been charged, constabulary said.

Authorities person ordered mandatory cause and intoxicant tests for each bid drivers and railway unit earlier their shifts, said Pichet Kunadhamraks, director-general of Thailand's obstruction transport department.

Police did not specify what drugs had been recovered successful the urine trial of the bid driver.

Pichet said preliminary findings from the train's achromatic container showed its exigency braking strategy was lone activated astir 100m (330ft) distant from the bus, which was not capable to debar collision, Thai PBS reported.

Dr Amorn Phimarnmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, tells the BBC helium estimates much than 100,000 roadworthy vehicles walk done the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing each time - supra the information threshold for specified crossings.

At the crossing, motorcyclists are often known to weave done information barriers to bushed postulation and debar getting slowed down by passing trains.

The tracks were built agelong earlier the surrounding roads, and the metropolis has grown astir them, giving mode to "risk normalisation", Amorn says.

"It's erstwhile hazard becomes routine. People deliberation 'it'll beryllium fine' and transportation on, until 1 time we extremity up with precisely the benignant of catastrophe we've conscionable seen."

Additional reporting by Thanyarat Doksone