Driver of crashed train tested positive for drugs, Thai police say

The freight train collided with a bus in Bangkok, killing eight people and injuring dozens of others. Thailand: Crashed train driver tested positive for drugs, police say Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The collision at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing killed eight people and injured many others A crowd gathers after a train crashed into a bus at a busy road crossing. There are several red firefighting trucks parked around the train. Driver of crashed train tested positive for drugs, Thai police say The driver of a freight train involved in a fatal collision with a public bus in Bangkok has tested positive for drugs and been charged with reckless driving, authorities say. The collision, which happened at the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing on Saturday afternoon, saw the train crash into a public bus that had come to a stop on the railway tracks. The bus burst into flames, killing eight people and injuring dozens. Initial reports suggest the bus had become stuck on the tracks due to heavy traffic, which prevented the crossing barriers from lowering properly. The Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing is notoriously hectic, and leads to one of the busiest intersections in Bangkok. Both the bus driver and the guard responsible for lowering the barrier - which is done manually - have also been charged, police said. Authorities have ordered mandatory drug and alcohol tests for all train drivers and railway staff before their shifts, said Pichet Kunadhamraks, director-general of Thailand's rail transport department. Police did not specify what drugs had been found in the urine test of the train driver. Pichet said preliminary findings from the train's black box showed its emergency braking system was only activated about 100m (330ft) away from the bus, which was not enough to avoid collision, Thai PBS reported. Dr Amorn Phimarnmas, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, tells the BBC he estimates more than 100,000 road vehicles pass through the Asoke-Din Daeng railway crossing every day - above the safety threshold for such crossings. At the crossing, motorcyclists are often known to weave through safety barriers to beat traffic and avoid getting slowed down by passing trains. The tracks were built long before the surrounding roads, and the city has grown around them, giving way to "risk normalisation", Amorn says. "It's when risk becomes routine. People think 'it'll be fine' and carry on, until one day we end up with exactly the kind of disaster we've just seen." Additional reporting by Thanyarat Doksone Kami Rita Sherpa and Lakpa Sherpa summited Everest for the 32nd and 11th time, respectively. Lai Ching-te made his first direct response to Trump and Xi's meeting where they discussed Taiwan independence. Staff Sgt Mohamed Mahdhee died while diving in the search-and-rescue operation, the Maldives government tells the BBC. The nagatitan is the largest dinosaur found in South-East Asia and weighs as much as nine elephants. Jo Ingram is on the mend after falling while pony trekking - deemed an "extreme sport". Thaksin seems incapable of taking a back seat. This time, it really could be different. For the last three decades, one man and his political dynasty have loomed large over Thailand's politics. Vincent Agar, 80, is jailed for 19 years after being extradited from Thailand to face justice.