Fatal Bus-Train Crash Victim "Rose" Returned to Ubon Ratchathani

UBON RATCHATHANI — On May 20, 2026, the family of "Rose," a woman killed in Saturday's catastrophic collision between a train and a public bus, has brought her body back to her hometown in Ubon Ratchathani Province for funeral rites, amid desperate calls from her family for stricter public transport passenger safety.

A funeral service was held at Wat Suan Sawan in Phibun Sub-district, Phibun Mangsahan District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, on Wednesday, for "Rose" Wiparak Phaophuree, a recent graduate of Kasetsart University's Faculty of Humanities, who died in the tragic train-bus crash on Saturday. Condolence wreaths from multiple organizations were sent to pay respects, and neighbors gathered at the temple to assist the grieving family with funeral arrangements amid a deeply somber atmosphere.

The religious rites will span three days. Ubon Ratchathani Governor Narong Thepsena and local authorities are scheduled to host the first night of the three-day Buddhist funeral prayers. The cremation ceremony will take place on May 23.

The victim's mother called for improvements in passenger safety measures on public buses, questioning why the driver would drive onto railway tracks and stop across them with no regard for safety. She emphasized that passengers place their lives entirely in the hands of drivers and called for better safeguards.

Meanwhile, the victim's aunt shared that her niece routinely commuted using a combination of motorbikes, buses, and taxis. The family was able to immediately confirm she was on the ill-fated bus because she had paid her fare via mobile banking and posted a social media story stating she was on the bus.

The victim's aunt expressed that one minute of carelessness destroyed decades of her niece's future, along with seven others. She emphasized that if the driver had sacrificed just one minute to wait, eight lives would not have been lost.