Day after 32 killed in train crane collapse, another crane accident leaves two dead in Thailand
A crane collapsed at a highway construction site on the outskirts of Bangkok on Thursday, killing two people, Thai police said, just a day after a separate crane accident crushed a train and left 32 dead elsewhere in the country.
Thailand was rocked by a second deadly construction accident in as many days after a crane collapsed at a highway project near Bangkok on Thursday, killing two people—just 24 hours after a separate crane failure crushed a passenger train in the country’s northeast, leaving at least 32 dead and dozens injured. The back-to-back incidents have intensified scrutiny of safety standards across Thailand’s major infrastructure projects.
Highway crane collapses near Bangkok
The latest incident occurred early Thursday on the under-construction Rama II Expressway in Samut Sakhon, south-west of Bangkok.
Local police chief Sitthiporn Kasi told AFP that “two [people are] dead and no injuries” were reported. Local media said the crane collapsed near the Paris Inn Garden Hotel, with footage showing thick clouds of dust and debris scattered across the site after the heavy machinery toppled onto an elevated concrete structure.
The Rama II Expressway, which hosts multiple large infrastructure and tollway projects, has seen a string of fatal accidents in recent years—earning it the grim nickname “Death Road.”
Deadly crane disaster a day earlier
Thursday’s incident followed a far more catastrophic accident on Wednesday in Nakhon Ratchasima, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northeast of Bangkok.
A construction crane working on a high-speed rail project collapsed onto a passenger train travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani, derailing carriages and briefly setting them ablaze. Regional authorities said at least 32 people were killed and 66 were injured.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 people aboard the train and announced a full investigation.
Graphic scenes at crash site
Images released by the transport ministry showed overturned train carriages lying beside shrubland as firefighters battled flames, and smoke billowed from the wreckage. Footage verified by Reuters showed rescue workers pulling victims from mangled carriages, with badly injured passengers loaded into ambulances.
Part of the collapsed crane remains propped against concrete stanchions supporting the elevated rail project, with debris still hanging over the tracks below.
Government vows accountability
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he had instructed the State Railway of Thailand to ensure proper compensation for victims’ families.
“We need to investigate... and take legal action,” Charnvirakul told reporters after being briefed at the scene.
The contractor, Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, which is building the affected rail segment, expressed regret and said it would provide compensation and relief to families of those killed and injured.
Spotlight on construction safety
The high-speed rail line forms part of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima segment of a transnational project linking Thailand to the southwest Chinese city of Kunming, via Laos. Thai authorities said last year that more than a third of the Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima section had been completed, with the full line to Nong Khai on the Lao border scheduled for completion by 2030.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was closely following developments.
“At present, it seems that the relevant section was under construction by a Thai enterprise. The cause of the accident is still under investigation,” she said.
The disasters have revived memories of a major construction tragedy in Bangkok last year, when a 30-storey building under construction collapsed following a powerful earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar, killing 89 people.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, was later indicted along with 22 others on allegations of negligence and breaches of construction regulations—charges they have denied.
Recovery and economic impact
Recovery operations at the train crash site continued into Wednesday evening, with Anutin saying the track must be cleared by the end of the week. He warned that prolonged disruption on the major rail corridor would have serious economic consequences for the region.