Thai railway authority halts service in far south

Thai railway authority Sunday decided to hang all the service between the southernmost provinces of Yala and Narathiwat without deadline since a passenger train was under gunfire Saturday, leaving several crewman and passengers injured.

All the rail services, including passenger and freight trains, from Yala city to Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district have been halted since Sunday morning. The authority said it will evaluate the security situation in the far south for a period before lifting the hang.

Suspected insurgents Saturday morning attacked a train running between Sungai Kolok district and Nakhon Si Thammarat province and wounded several persons. The attackers fired dozens of salvos of gunfire at the train, forcing passengers to hide themselves for protection.

The railway which was hung from services is the only line through the southernmost provinces of Yala and Narathiwat.

Source: Xinhua