Broken railway crossing barrier in Thailand costs local mayor his life

The Mayor of Nasan was killed by an oncoming train as he drove his car over a railway crossing yesterday in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand. One of four barriers was broken.

Kosol Sutthangkun, the 63 year old Mayor of Nasan Municipality, was driving home from a funeral when he was fatally struck by Bangkok – Trang Express Train 84 at a railway crossing near Ban Nasan Railway Station at 8.17pm.

At 8.30pm, officers from Ban Nasan Police Station and rescue services arrived at the scene to retrieve Kosol’s body from his mangled Toyota Fortuner.

Superintendent of Ban Nasan Police Station Pol. Col. Witthawee Paritanon said that a railway employee stationed at the crossing testified that four sliding barriers come across the road to block cars when trains pass through, but one of them is currently broken.

Mayor Kosol drove onto the tracks but couldn’t exit onto the road because both barriers were down on the other side.

The employee said they tried to warn Mayor Kosol about the oncoming train with a flashlight, but he didn’t reverse his car in time.

Ban Nasan Railway Station claimed that they are waiting for a technician from Bangkok to come and fix the barrier.

Locals are rightfully outraged and are waiting for the State Railway of Thailand and related departments to clarify the facts of this tragic incident as well as fix the barrier to prevent this from happening again.

Relatives of the deceased and Buddhist monks went to the tracks and performed a chern winnyan ceremony to invite Kosol’s spirit back home.

Police said they are examining CCTV footage of the incident to support their investigation.

The locomotive was only slightly damaged in the crash.

In January, more than 50 locals in Rach Buri province gathered to bring attention to a dangerous railway crossing where there are no lights or barriers whatsoever.

In December, a taxi driver was killed by a train at a railway crossing in Bangkok