Another crane collapse in Thailand, killing two people

A construction crane collapsed on an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand, killing 32 people.

Work on the expansion of the Rama 2 Road highway, one of the main arteries from Bangkok, has become notorious for construction accidents, some fatal.

A crane collapsed on a section of a road project in Samut Sakhon province on Thursday, trapping two vehicles under the rubble, according to the government’s Public Relations Office.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told Thailand’s Channel 7 that two people died.

It is not yet known whether there is anyone else in the wreckage.

Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker at the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, said there was uncertainty about the number of victims as the area was still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter.

“We still can’t say right now whether there will be another collapse,” he said, referring to sagging steel plates.

“Therefore, there are no rescue personnel at the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”

Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Anuphong Suksomnit said the search for survivors at the site of Wednesday’s train derailment had ended.

It was estimated that three passengers listed as missing had gotten off the train earlier, but this was still under investigation.

Authorities believed there were 171 people in three cars of the train that was removed from the scene on Thursday.

The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a ramp crane, a mobile equipment often used in the construction of elevated roads.

Provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters that police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and were not filing charges.

The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is linked to Beijing’s plan to connect China to Southeast Asia under the Belt and Road Initiative.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.

Thai State Railways Acting Governor Anan Phonimdaeng said the contractor of the project is the Italian-Thai Development company, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

In the statement published on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, it expressed its condolences to the victims and stated that the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospital expenses of the injured.

Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday’s accident occurred, but other companies were also involved.

The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the joint contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok, which collapsed during construction during a major earthquake in Myanmar last March.

The building collapse was the worst earthquake damage in Thailand and killed nearly 100 people.