Mitsubishi Driver Recounts Near-Death Experience as Train Collides with Bus—A Narrow Escape
A Mitsubishi driver narrowly escaped death when a freight train struck an air-conditioned bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok, pushing the vehicle into his car; the survivor questions whether safety signals malfunctioned during the collisi
Like a scene from a movie, a Mitsubishi driver describes the harrowing moments of narrowly cheating death when a freight train collided with an air-conditioned bus, with survivors witnessing the chaos unfold. A freight train struck Route 206 air-conditioned bus at the Makkasan railway crossing on Asoke-Din Daeng Road, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries, with survivors now sharing their accounts of the tragedy.
On May 17, 2026, Sakrin (surname withheld), 48, one of the incident survivors who was driving a gray Mitsubishi Expander with damage to the rear window and crushed rear section, revealed that he was driving from Phetchburi Road heading toward the Fortune area when he turned left from the Water Gate before crossing the railway at the Asoke intersection.
While passing through the railway crossing, he heard only the sound of the barrier signal, but the barrier did not lower, allowing his vehicle to continue normally. The traffic light on his side remained green, so he did not stop. He noticed an orange bus parked crosswise on the railway tracks, which he found unusual, so he accelerated to cross the tracks. However, just one meter after crossing, the train collided with the bus, pushing it into his vehicle and causing damage. He admits to being terrified and attempted to accelerate away but was too late. After stopping and checking his passengers for injuries, he saw the bus engulfed in flames but was unable to help.
Sakrin remarked that the incident felt like a movie scene and described it as "cheating death," as being even slightly slower could have resulted in far worse consequences. He also raised concerns about the railway crossing's operational system, suggesting possible miscommunication between train and traffic signals, and noted that buses should not remain parked on railway tracks due to the extreme danger. He questioned whether the train had slowed down despite the bus clearly blocking the tracks. His passengers later continued their journey by another vehicle as they needed to rush to a job interview. Sakrin admitted he remains shaken by the incident.
