3 killed, more than 70 hurt as Thai trains collide

Bangkok: Three Thai railway workers were killed and more than 70 passengers injured on Sunday when a train on the wrong line crashed into another at a station south of Bangkok, a railway official said.

One train was waiting at Nongkae station, on the main route south near the resort town of Hua Hin, for the other to pass through first, but the second train was diverted onto the same track, the official said.

The accident occurred before dawn and four passenger cars derailed from the impact.

Initial investigations showed that the Bangkok-bound train ignored a red light when it took the wrong track, but a more thorough probe was still ongoing,

"We are now investigating the cause of the crash," the official said. The driver and a female worker on the waiting train were killed and another male railway worker died on the way to hospital. More than 70 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, the official said.

Traffic was held up for several hours, but the track had been cleared and normal services had resumed, he added.