SEVEN KILLED IN THAI TRAIN ACCIDENT

BY D. ARUL RAJOO

BANGKOK, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- All southern bound train services, including the
daily Bangkok-Penang passenger train, have been suspended after seven people
were killed and 88 others injured when a train derailed in Hua Hin, south of
Bangkok early today.

Prachuab Khiri Khan Province Governor, Weera Sriwattanatrakul confirmed that
seven Thais, including a two-year girl, were killed, and not 10 as feared
earlier.

"Nineteen people have been hospitalised and the rest were given outpatient
treatment," he said when contacted in Hua Hin after accompanying Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva who visited the victims.

Thanongsak Phongprasert, chief of the Southern Centre of the State Railways
of Thailand (SRT), said services to Penang and Sungai Golok at the
Thai-Malaysia border in Narathiwat would probably resume Tuesday.

"It depends on how fast the tracks can be cleared," he said when contacted
in Hatyai.

In the incident that occured during heavy rain at about 4.45am at Khao Tao
station, 10 of the 15 compartments had derailed.

The train left Trang at 5.20pm on Sunday and was scheduled to arrive in the
capital at at 8.25am Monday.

Authorities had said that initial investigation showed that switching error
may have caused the train to derail just 100 metres from the station.
-- BERNAMA