SISAKET — A Thai woman and her South Korean husband who had registered their marriage just one day earlier were among those killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
The victims were identified as Surattiyakorn Kanya, 35, also known as “Kai,” and her husband Kim Yongho, 37, a South Korean national.
The couple had been travelling on Special Express Train No. 21, which runs from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal to Ubon Ratchathani, when the crane fell onto the train in Nakhon Ratchasima, causing multiple deaths and injuries.
On 15 January, reporters visited the couple’s family home in Wang Hin district, Sisaket province, where relatives and local residents were preparing the site to receive the bodies for funeral rites. The atmosphere was sombre as family members gathered to mourn.
Surattiyakorn’s mother, Lam-yong Kanya, 60, said her daughter had been in a relationship with her husband for more than 10 years before the couple decided to return to Thailand to formally register their marriage.
They arrived in Thailand on 19 December 2025 and spent time with family before registering their marriage at the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 13 January 2026, just one day before the fatal accident.
After registering their marriage, the couple boarded the train to return home to Wang Hin district, planning to register their marriage again at the local district office.
“I learned around 10:00 on 13 January that my daughter and son-in-law had been killed by the crane collapse. I was devastated. I don’t know how to go on,” Lam-yong said. “My two grandchildren have now lost their mother, and I will have to take care of them.”
A check of Surattiyakorn’s Facebook account showed her final post was a photo of herself and her husband in front of the Department of Consular Affairs, captioned simply: “Successfully completed.”
It became her last message before the couple’s newly begun life together ended in tragedy.