Thai train in deadly derailment

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Rescue workers attend the crash site near Hua Hin

A passenger train bound for Bangkok has derailed in Thailand's Hua Hin coastal resort district, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more.

At least six of the train's 16 carriages went off the tracks amid torrential downpours.

The overnight train was travelling from southern Trang province to the capital when the accident happened.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the incident, which happened at about 0450 (2150 GMT on Sunday).

"From the information we have now, seven were found dead at the scene. They were all Thais," said Police Col Krisna Jamsaweng, chief of Hua Hin's police station.

Forty-five people had been sent for treatment at two nearby hospitals, he added.

Rescuers were using a truck-mounted crane to help lift the wreckage.

Police Lt Col Udom Chainoom said some bodies could not immediately be removed from the twisted carriages.

"Rescue workers including policemen and soldiers were sent to the area to help remove the wreckage," he added.

Yuthana Thapcharoen, head of Thailand's state railways, said it might take more than a day to clear the wreckage and reopen the rail link between southern Thailand and the capital.