Residents in Thailand's Ban Thanon Khot are accustomed to the rumbling of trains – rail is a key mode of transportation connecting the remote town with major cities.
But on Wednesday, the mundane rhythm ended in tragedy.
The noise was abnormally loud. A huge, crashing sound, said school volunteer Pitchaya Promenade. I saw a blue crane sliding. It seemed stuck for a moment, and suddenly it flipped over.
The construction crane had collapsed onto a moving train, killing at least 32 people and injuring 66 others. Most were students and workers travelling for school and work. Thailand's Public Health Ministry stated that three people remain missing from the accident.
Rescuers were still pulling bodies out of the mangled train when the BBC arrived at the scene in the evening. Parts of it were completely crushed.
If I had to describe the damage visually, it looked like a spoon scooping into a slice of cake, said Pitchaya, 32, who is trained in basic first aid.
There was an elderly woman hanging upside down [from a carriage]... Another woman, whose right arm appeared to be broken, was holding onto her.
One train carriage had caught fire following the collision, complicating rescue efforts. Emergency responders employed cranes and hydraulic tools to free passengers trapped in the wreckage.
People were screaming 'Help! Help!' and smoke was starting to rise, recalled Penporn Pumjantuek, a local restaurant owner. Oil from the train was spilling everywhere.
She described being torn between fear and courage. I'm still scared when I think about it. I still remember that moment when I ran to help them, before anyone else arrived. They were crying. It was terrifying.
A one-year-old and an 85-year-old were among those injured, with seven individuals in critical condition, authorities said. Local resident Suphann Imchantrik recounted helping a barely breathing child. I saw those dead too… lying there. Everything was a heartbreaking sight.
The crane involved in the accident was part of a US$5.4 billion China-backed project intended to link Bangkok with southwestern China via Laos.
Questions remain regarding the incident as Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has called for an investigation, and the State Railway of Thailand is suing the Italian-Thai Development Company responsible for the railway section where the accident occurred.
Amorn Pimanmas, an engineering professor, suggested that human factors were likely to blame for the tragedy, citing the lack of storms or vibrations from the passing train. Thailand has a history of deadly construction accidents, often attributed to lax safety standards.
