Unlicensed Train Driver In Deadly Bangkok Crash Tested Positive For Meth & Cannabis
The driver involved in a deadly train collision in Bangkok that killed at least eight people has reportedly tested positive for methamphetamines and cannabis, while authorities also discovered he was operating the train without a proper licence.
The shocking revelations emerged days after the freight train slammed into a bus and motorcycle near the Makkasan Airport Rail Link station in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district.
The horrific collision triggered a massive fire that trapped several passengers inside the burning bus, leaving eight dead and around 30 others injured.
Thai authorities are now facing serious questions over how the train driver was allowed to operate despite allegedly lacking the required certification.
Driver Previously Convicted For Drug Use
According to Thai officials, 46-year-old Sayomporn Suankul tested positive for methamphetamine and cannabis following a urine test conducted after the crash.
Authorities also revealed that the driver had previously been convicted on drug-related charges back in 2019.
Investigators said he had failed to apply for a new operating licence under Thailand’s Department of Rail Transport regulations and was only carrying an outdated licence previously issued by the State Railway of Thailand.
The driver has since been suspended from duty and charged with reckless driving causing death and severe injury.
Multiple People Under Investigation
The investigation has now widened beyond the train driver alone.
Police said the bus driver involved in the collision may also face charges for allegedly stopping the vehicle on the railway crossing before the impact occurred.
The bus driver reportedly suffered severe burns and remains hospitalised.
Meanwhile, the railway crossing supervisor has also been suspended after investigators discovered he had waved a red warning flag at the approaching train but allegedly failed to lower traffic barriers to stop vehicles from entering the crossing.
Authorities are currently trying to determine whether a combination of human negligence, safety failures and drug impairment contributed to the deadly disaster.
Thailand Orders Drug Tests For Rail Workers
Following the incident, Thai authorities ordered immediate drug and alcohol testing for railway personnel working on trains across the country.
Police have also launched inspections of railway crossings along the route travelled by the train involved in the crash.
Experts are currently analysing information from the train’s black box recorder as part of the ongoing investigation.
The tragedy has sparked outrage online, with many questioning Thailand’s railway safety standards and oversight procedures after an allegedly unlicensed driver with a past drug conviction was allowed to operate a freight train carrying enough force to cause a mass casualty disaster.