ID :
83150
Mon, 10/05/2009 - 20:45
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http://m.oananews.org//node/83150
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PM visits injured passengers from Hua Hin train disaster
PRACHUAB KHIRI KHAN, Oct 5 (TNA) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urgently went to Prachaub Khiri Khan province late Monday afternoon to view the rail tragedy site and visit passengers who were injured when a train derailed early in the morning.
A crowded passenger train route number 84 Bangkok-Trang which was enroute from the southern province of Trang to Bangkok was derailed at Khao Tao Station in the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan, killing at least seven passengers, while some 100 others were injured.
Transport Minister Sopon Zarum, Deputy Minister of Public Health Manit Nop-amornbodi and State Railway of Thailand (SRT) president Yuthana Thapcharoen had briefed the prime minister about the incident.
Mr Abhisit walked around the site where SRT workers were removing debris from the track to open way for the train services to resume after the damaged carriages had blocked the rails since early morning.
The prime minister later proceeded to Hua Hin Hospital to visit the injured passengers.
Mr Abhisit said the Transport Ministry was investigating the incident and initially report said that the train had gone through the signal post where the light was red with high speed before it derailed.
He said at the moment it could not yet be concluded whether it was human error or the malfunctioning of the equipment.
The railways are expected to resume full services Tuesday after safety checks are completed, he said.
Mr Yuthana said that the SRT had estimated the incident had cost some Bt180 million (US$5.14 million) in damage and is considered as one of the worst incidents in SRT history.
He hoped the emergency crews could remove all debris tonight to open way for the train services to resume. The authorities will try to find out the cause of the tragedy within five days.
Transport Company managing director Wuthichart Kanlayanamitr, meanwhile said to facilitate passenger travel needs, the company had assigned 20 per cent more buses on the southern routes as the Hua Hin derailment had blocked trains on the route.
The company normally runs 1,100 buses per day, he said, and by increasing the 20 per cent buses could serve the extra 52,800 passengers per day.
He added that the company hoped that it could absorb the passengers who were stranded because of the accident. (TNA)
A crowded passenger train route number 84 Bangkok-Trang which was enroute from the southern province of Trang to Bangkok was derailed at Khao Tao Station in the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan, killing at least seven passengers, while some 100 others were injured.
Transport Minister Sopon Zarum, Deputy Minister of Public Health Manit Nop-amornbodi and State Railway of Thailand (SRT) president Yuthana Thapcharoen had briefed the prime minister about the incident.
Mr Abhisit walked around the site where SRT workers were removing debris from the track to open way for the train services to resume after the damaged carriages had blocked the rails since early morning.
The prime minister later proceeded to Hua Hin Hospital to visit the injured passengers.
Mr Abhisit said the Transport Ministry was investigating the incident and initially report said that the train had gone through the signal post where the light was red with high speed before it derailed.
He said at the moment it could not yet be concluded whether it was human error or the malfunctioning of the equipment.
The railways are expected to resume full services Tuesday after safety checks are completed, he said.
Mr Yuthana said that the SRT had estimated the incident had cost some Bt180 million (US$5.14 million) in damage and is considered as one of the worst incidents in SRT history.
He hoped the emergency crews could remove all debris tonight to open way for the train services to resume. The authorities will try to find out the cause of the tragedy within five days.
Transport Company managing director Wuthichart Kanlayanamitr, meanwhile said to facilitate passenger travel needs, the company had assigned 20 per cent more buses on the southern routes as the Hua Hin derailment had blocked trains on the route.
The company normally runs 1,100 buses per day, he said, and by increasing the 20 per cent buses could serve the extra 52,800 passengers per day.
He added that the company hoped that it could absorb the passengers who were stranded because of the accident. (TNA)
