Train Driver in Deadly Bangkok Crash Tested Positive for Drugs

The driver of a freight train involved in a deadly collision with a public bus in Bangkok has tested positive for drugs and now faces charges of reckless driving, Thai police have confirmed.

The crash occurred on Saturday afternoon at the busy Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing when the freight train slammed into a public bus that had reportedly become stranded on the tracks.

The impact caused the bus to burst into flames, killing eight people and leaving dozens injured.

Initial investigations suggest heavy traffic prevented the bus from clearing the crossing in time. Authorities also believe the congestion stopped the manually operated railway barriers from closing properly before the train approached.

The Asoke-Din Daeng crossing is known as one of the busiest and most congested traffic points in Bangkok.

Police said both the bus driver and the railway guard responsible for lowering the barriers have also been charged in connection with the incident.

Pichet Kunadhamraks, director-general of Thailand’s rail transport department, announced that mandatory drug and alcohol testing would now be required for all train drivers and railway personnel before starting work shifts.

Authorities have not disclosed which substances were detected in the train driver’s urine test.

According to preliminary findings from the train’s black box, the emergency braking system was activated only about 100 metres (330 feet) before impact — a distance investigators say was too short to prevent the collision.