Thailand: Tourist dies after falling from train on Bridge on Kwai
A tourist has fallen off a train near the famous River Kwai Bridge in Thailand. He did not survive the fall.
In Thailand, a tourist fell from a moving train and died. The accident happened on Tuesday near the well-known bridge on the River Kwai west of the capital Bangkok.
According to police, the traveler is a 45-year-old Irish citizen who was born in New Zealand. It is still unclear why the man fell. The police suspect that he wanted to change wagons and fell. The Bangkok Post reported that the tourist apparently wanted to take photos. He had only entered Thailand the day before.
Kwai Bridge is known from the movie
The train route in the province of Kanchanaburi is particularly popular because of the picturesque view and the bridge on the Kwai River, which is made famous by the movie of the same name. As a rule, the speed is therefore also reduced on this section of the route. Videos from other train passengers show the Irishman falling off the train – but it’s not clear to see if he was standing between carriages or had opened a door to get a better picture. He fell about seven meters down. Immediately summoned rescue workers could only determine the death of the man.
The railway line and bridge have a dark history: they were built by forced laborers for the Japanese army during World War II. About 100,000 people are said to have died, many of whom were British, American and Australian prisoners of war.
