The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) issued a safety warning to passengers yesterday (13 August) following a distressing incident that took place at Phatthalung Station in Phattalung province, where a woman fell out of the train while it was departing.
Alongside the statement on its official Facebook page, SRT shared 2 videos of the incident, showing how a 19-year-old woman, who was shooting a video, was dangling out of the train carriage and got hit by a pole, knocking her out and eventually causing her to fall off the train.
The woman was dangling out of the train for a social media video
SRT thus issued a strict warning to all passengers to adhere to safety regulations while travelling by train, stressing that passengers are explicitly prohibited from hanging onto or leaning out of moving trains.
Ekkarat Sriarayanphong, SRT’s Chief of the Governor’s Office disclosed that the incident occurred on 5 August at 3.15pm on the local train No. 452 that was travelling from Sungai Kolok near the Malaysian border to Nakhon Si Thammarat province.
He added that the train just departed from Phatthalung Station when the 19-year-old passenger attempted to create online content by hanging onto the train’s steps and leaning out of the carriage.
The passenger’s head then struck a pole, causing her to fall onto the platform at the station.
Her head can be seen striking the pole in the 1st video below, which is recorded by the woman’s companion for posting on social media.
Meanwhile, the 2nd video is CCTV footage of Phatthalung Station when the incident happened, showing the woman dangling from the train carriage and falling onto the track.
Watch the video here:
The woman sustained minor injuries
Sustaining a minor injury to their finger and complaining of a headache, the woman was promptly taken to Phatthalung Hospital, where doctors examined her and conducted a brain scan.
Thankfully, the scan revealed no internal injuries, though the woman did suffer from a swollen and bruised head. The passenger was later discharged.
SRT will conduct more frequent safety checks and be stricter with passengers
In response to this incident, the SRT has instructed train staff to increase the frequency of safety checks and to provide safety advice to passengers.
Should any risky behaviour be observed, staff will issue immediate warnings. Moreover, if passengers fail to comply, they will be asked to disembark from the train immediately.
So, what do you guys think of the incident? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Also read: KTMB Says Viral Couple Who Took Photos on Train Track May Be Fined, Netizens Say Fine Amount Too Low
