Day After 32 Died, Another Crane Collapse Kills 2 In Thailand

Two people have been confirmed dead and five others injured after a crane collapsed on Thursday on the outskirts of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, barely 24 hours after a similar incident killed at least 32 people in the country’s northeast.

The latest accident occurred in Samut Sakhon province when a crane being used for the construction of an elevated highway fell onto the road below.

Confirming the incident, Police Colonel Sitthiporn Kasi, superintendent of the local district police station, told Reuters that the crane collapsed during construction work. Another police official at the station said five people sustained injuries.

Thailand’s Transport Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, said the same construction firm was involved in both deadly incidents, according to local media reports.

The firm, Italian-Thai Development, is a contractor on a China-backed high-speed rail project.

On Wednesday, a massive crane collapsed at a construction site in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok, killing 32 people. The crane was reportedly being used to build an elevated track for a joint Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project when it fell onto a moving train, causing it to derail and briefly catching fire.

Ratchakitprakarn said in a statement that 195 passengers were on board the train and that he had ordered a full investigation into the incident.

The rail route involved is very commonly used, serving densely populated areas in northeast Thailand. The route had been the site of a high-speed Chinese rail project, which has been under construction for about a decade.

Local media reported that Thursday’s crane collapse occurred in front of the Paris Inn Garden Hotel. Footage from the scene showed thick clouds of dust and debris scattered across the construction site.

The incident happened along the Rama II Expressway, a major infrastructure corridor hosting several large-scale projects, including tollway construction.

The expressway has witnessed multiple fatal accidents in recent years, earning it the nickname “Death Road”.

Industrial and construction-related accidents remain common in Thailand, raising renewed concerns over safety standards following the two deadly crane collapses within two days.