The incident occurred about 230 km northeast of Bangkok while construction work was underway on a high-speed rail project. Several passengers are feared to be trapped inside the damaged train, according to local media.

Emergency responders arriving at the scene found the heavy steel crane lying across multiple train carriages, crushing roofs and severely damaging the train’s metal structure, The Nation reported.

Rescue teams worked urgently to cut through the wreckage to extricate injured passengers and transport them to nearby hospitals, the newspaper said.

The accident occurred at around 9:00 am local time (0200 GMT), Thatchapon Chinnawong, a police superintendent in Nakhon Ratchasima, told the BBC.

“The construction crane collapsed onto a running train that had departed from Bangkok,” he said.

Authorities said the crane was being used in the construction of an express rail line. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the collapse.