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Thailand: Crashed train driver tested positive for drugs, police say

On Saturday, a goods train struck a city bus at Bangkok's Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing, killing eight people; authorities charged train driver Sayomporn Sonkul with reckless driving after he tested positive for drugs.
Traffic buildup trapped the bus on the tracks, preventing manual barriers from lowering fully; officials said the guard appeared slow to act while Sonkul ignored a red flag from the trackside guard.
Preliminary black box findings showed the train's emergency braking system activated only 330ft from the bus, insufficient to prevent collision. Sonkul also lacked a valid operator's licence from the Department of Rail Transport.
Pichet Kunadhamraks, director-general of the Department of Rail Transport, ordered mandatory drug and alcohol tests for all train and railway staff before shifts. Police also charged the bus driver and the manual barrier guard.
Dr Amorn Phimarnmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, estimates more than 100,000 vehicles pass daily through the crossing, exceeding safety thresholds. He cited "risk normalisation" as the underlying cause of such disasters.

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