At least 17 passengers were killed and more than dozen injured on Sunday when a bus collided with a train in central Thailand, officials said.
The collision happened around 50 kilometers east of the capital Bangkok as the bus passengers were on their way to a temple in Chachoengsao province for a ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, said a district police chief.
"The death toll we have so far is 17," he said, adding that the accident occurred around 8 am.
Provincial governor Maitree Tritilanond told reporters that so far about 29 people were injured.
Early images by rescue workers showed gnarled metal and debris, with bodies lying by the train tracks and people's belongings scattered.
The bus was overturned on its side, the top of it ripped off, and rescue workers said a crane was needed to lift it.
The number of casualties and injured is expected to rise.
Prathueng Yookassem, the district chief officer, told Thailand's PBS TV that that “it was raining, perhaps, the driver did not see the train.”
Such deadly accidents are common in Thailand, which regularly tops lists of the world's most lethal roads, with speeding, drunk driving and weak law enforcement all contributing factors.
According to a 2018 report by the World Health Organization, Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world.
