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The train was traveling from Bangkok to northeastern Thailand when a construction crane fell and derailed.

A construction crane has fallen onto a passenger train in northeastern Thailand, killing at least 22 people and injuring around 80 others.

The accident occurred on Wednesday in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok. The train was heading from the Thai capital to Ubon Ratchathani province.

Transport Minister Piphat Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that there were 195 passengers on board and ordered an investigation to be carried out.

He said the deceased were in two of the three vehicles hit by the crane.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng reported from Bangkok that the train was traveling under a high-speed rail construction site when a crane operating overhead collapsed.

“The train then derailed after colliding with a crane, causing a brief fire,” Chen said.

“Initial reports said the death toll was only four, but that quickly jumped to 12. Thai police who spoke to Al Jazeera confirmed that the death toll was 22, and at this stage the death toll is expected to rise further,” he said.

According to police, the fire has been extinguished and rescue operations are currently underway.

Local resident Mitru Intrupanya, 54, was at the scene when the incident occurred.

“At around 9 a.m., we heard a loud sound like something sliding down from above, and then there were two explosions,” Mitru told AFP news agency.

“When I went to see what had happened, I found that the crane was on a three-car passenger train. It appears that some metal from the crane hit the middle of the second car and broke it in two,” Mittle said.

Mr Cheng said the route the train took was “very commonly used”, serving densely populated areas in northeastern Thailand.

“This line is the site of China’s high-speed rail project and has been under construction for a long time, about 10 years,” he said.

“The high-speed rail line is to be carried onto a concrete platform on top of the existing railway line. From the photos we have seen of the site, it appears that the crane working there fell off a large concrete pillar,” he added.