Thailand train collision with pickup truck kills 8 people and injures 4

Eight people were killed when a freight train struck a pickup truck crossing the tracks in an eastern province of Thailand early Friday morning, authorities said.

The accident at 2:20 am also injured four people in the Muang district of Chachoengsao province, according to the State Railway of Thailand.

The 54-year-old driver, Wichai Yulek, told authorities he saw the approaching train and heard a warning horn. He slowed, but passengers in the vehicle urged him to keep going. When he realized the truck was headed for a collision, he could not stop in time, the railway agency said.