At least eight people have been killed, and dozens injured, after a freight train crashed into a public bus in Thailand’s capital.

Flames engulfed the bus and nearby vehicles near an airport rail link station in the centre of Bangkok Saturday afternoon.

The city’s emergency services Erawan Medical Center confirmed the number of deaths, while Bangkok police chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit told AFP news agency at least 35 people were injured.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said that all the bodies were found on the bus. It was not yet clear how many people were on board in total.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered an investigation into the crash, according to a statement from his office.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok, said the crash unfolded around 3:40pm local time (08:40 GMT), when the bus appeared to get stuck on an intersection with the rail line after the safety barriers descended.

As the freight train rammed into the stationary bus and continued travelling, it dragged several nearby vehicles along with it before the bus burst into flames.

Siripong would not confirm whether the bus had stopped on the railway track or discuss reports that the barriers may not have lowered properly, saying the matter still needs to be investigated.

Firefighters and rescue crews were dispatched to pull people from the wreckage and battle the flames as motorcyclists and passersby attempted to redirect traffic.

The fire has since been brought under control.

[Aljazeera]

New Zealand’s Māori Queen Te Arikinui Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po has met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

The meeting with the British monarch was Te Arikinui’s first since she became queen in 2024, following the death of her father, Kiingi Tuheitia.

The visit marks a near 200-year relationship between the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and the crown, formalised in the Treaty of Waitangi, one of New Zealand’s founding documents.

A spokesperson for the queen says the two discussed the former king’s death in what was a “heartfelt” discussion, as well as the strengthening of their relationship.

Earlier this week, the Māori queen was also welcomed by Prince William to Windsor Castle.

In a post on Instagram, Prince William acknowledged the visit, saying, “it was a pleasure to meet with the Queen.”

A statement released after the meeting from the Kīngitanga said the Māori queen discussed a range of global topics with Prince William.

“Te Arikinui affirmed her belief in the power of indigenous knowledge and intergenerational stewardship to help solve the world’s environmental and social challenges.”

Te Arikinui was crowned in 2024 after the death of her father – becoming only the second Māori queen, the first being her grandmother, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

The Māori monarchy dates back to the 19th Century, when different Māori tribes decided to create a unifying figure similar to that of a European monarch in order to try to prevent the widespread loss of land to New Zealand’s British colonisers and to preserve Māori culture. It is a largely ceremonial and symbolic role.

[BBC]

Nearly three weeks after an Indian family of four were found dead in their home, investigators tell the BBC they are no closer to knowing what actually happened.

The Dokadia family – Abdullah, his wife Nasreen and their two daughters Ayesha and Zainab – were found dead at their home on 25 April in Mumbai’s Pydhonie area.

When the news broke, Indian media quickly dubbed the case “watermelon deaths”, after the last thing the family had eaten before their deaths.

The deaths received incessant media coverage in India, with lots of headlines advising caution while eating what is one of India’s most popular summer fruits.

Reports claimed the fruit was either adulterated or had been poisoned and that the couple and their teenaged daughters died because they consumed it late at night. This even led to a crash in watermelon prices in Mumbai’s fruit markets after demand plummeted.

There was also a lot of speculation over whether the deaths were accidental or intentional.

Last week, police in Mumbai said forensic tests had shown it was zinc phosphide – an extremely toxic chemical commonly used to kill rats – that killed the Dokadias. They said it was found in their organs and the remnants of the fruit.

But despite the revelation, the case is far from being solved and there are many unanswered questions.

On Wednesday, sources in the Mumbai police told the BBC that there is still no clarity on the motive or how the poison entered the watermelon.

“We are still collecting evidence and looking at all angles for motives,” a senior police officer said. “We have not ruled out homicide, accidental death or suicide.”

The Dokadias lived on the first floor of an old building in south Mumbai’s Pydhonie area.

In their first comments after the deaths, police said that night the family had hosted some relatives for dinner where they had eaten biriyani – a rice dish cooked with meat and fragrant spices.

The guests left at 22:30 and a few hours later the Dokadias ate watermelon. Soon after, they became ill.

“They all began suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. They were taken to a nearby hospital and later transferred to JJ Hospital. However, all four individuals unfortunately died,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe told the media.

On hearing about their distress, neighbours, including Dr Zaid Qureshi who lives on the fourth floor of the building, rushed to help the family.