Officials and workers are urgently recovering the wreckage of a crane that fell on a train at Sikhio to return the site to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for new track replacement. The delay was caused when oil was found leaking from parts during the cutting of the crane's lowering component.
On 18 Jan 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported that it is the fourth day since a construction crane for the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail project, contract sections 3-4 from Lam Takhong to Sikhio, collapsed onto Special Express Train No. 21 running from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Ubon Ratchathani near Ban Thanon Kot, Village 11, Sikhio Subdistrict, Sikhio District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. This caused numerous fatalities and injuries.
From the first day until the evening of 17 Jan 2026 GMT+7, after identifying all 30 deceased victims, relatives have collected 23 bodies for religious funeral rites, leaving seven bodies remaining.
Recently, at Maharaj Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital since this morning, families and relatives of the remaining seven deceased have come to complete paperwork to claim the bodies. This means the hospital will be able to release all 30 bodies to relatives today.
Meanwhile, Italian-Thai Development Co. is hastening the dismantling of the deformed crane structure for the high-speed rail project. Mr. Wichian Rungrojirat, an executive of Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, explained the delay in handing over the site to the State Railway of Thailand today. While workers were cutting the lowering crane component at the rear of the orange launcher, oil leaked from the parts causing sparks. Workers had to cover the area with sand to ensure safety and prevent further accidents, causing delays. They could not hand over the site to the railway today but assured that they will make every effort to remove the orange launcher from the high-speed rail structure by tonight.
SRT officials have prepared replacement tracks since yesterday to repair the damaged railway. They expect that once the contractor hands over the site, track repairs will be completed within six hours.