PUBLISHED ONMay 18, 2026 9:23 AMBYEriko LimThe driver of a freight train involved in a deadly collision in Bangkok on Saturday (May 16) tested positive for drugs and did not have a valid train operator's licence, Thai authorities said on Sunday (May 17).
The crash happened at about 3.35pm, when the train travelling from Laem Chabang to Bang Sue Junction slammed into a bus, several cars and motorcycles at the Asok-Din Daeng level crossing in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district.
According to Thailand's Department of Rail Transport (DRT), the bus had become stuck across the railway tracks after stopping at a red light.
The impact killed eight people on board the bus and injured about 30 others.
DRT director-general Pichet Kunadhamraks said on a Facebook post on May 17 that police informed authorities that the driver, identified as 46-year-old Sayomporn Suankul, tested positive for drugs.
Pichet added that the driver did not have an operator's licence.
Sayomporn has since been suspended, while "DRT also instructed the State Railway of Thailand to fully cooperate with police and facilitate assistance for victims".
Pichet has also "ordered a strict investigation into the accident, including a detailed review of safety conditions at the level crossing, with the aim of urgently addressing the root causes of the incident".
Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Sayam Boonsom said Sayomporn has been charged with reckless driving causing death and serious injury, Bangkok Post reported.
Following the crash, DRT ordered mandatory drug and alcohol screening for all train drivers, rail control staff and safety personnel before every shift under a "zero tolerance" policy.
In the Facebook post, DRT "expressed our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and injured, and thanked rescue workers, firefighters, police officers and all personnel involved for their swift response".
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