More than 130 passengers including a number of foreign tourists were injured when a State Railway of Thailand (SRT) sprinter train crashed into another SRT train carrying passengers to the Royal Flora Horticulture Expo in northern province of Chiang Mai early Monday morning.

 

About 20 passengers were severely injured and taken to hospitals. Several foreigners, including Japanese, Canadian and Dutch, were also injured in the accident, according to the FM 100 Traffic Radio.

 

The accident, which paralyzed all train services on the northern route, occurred in a remote area in Taphanhin district of northern Phichit province. Rescue workers walked about five kilometers to transport the injured for emergency medical treatment.

 

Officials are working to fix the railway track and clear the wreckage of the derailed train. Train service is expected to resume Monday afternoon.

 

According to the initial investigation, No. 963 special train bound for Chiang Mai province was parking at Tapanhin station, waiting for permission to leave when the Bangkok-Chiang Mai sprinter train rammed into its two last compartments about 15 minutes after midnight. Several cars of the both trains derailed.

 

Chiang Mai's railway chief Sompong Buttakhun said the cause of the accident is under investigation. Meanwhile, some passengers refunded their tickets as they still fear of safety.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2006)