At least five people have lost their lives and two are still missing, while almost thirty are injured this Saturday due to the collapse of an elevated highway under construction south of Bangkok, authorities reported. The incident occurred around 2:00 local time (19:00 GMT on Friday) when the iron and concrete structure collapsed while a group of workers was in the area.
Photos published on social media by the Bangkok municipality and the public relations department of Samut Sakhon province, where this work is taking place, show a pile of debris from the fall of elevated beams and pillars. The Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation emphasized in a statement that this is the eighth accident related to the construction of this infrastructure, including the collapse of a horizontal crane last November that left six dead.
In June 2023, two people died and several were injured due to the collapse of a bridge under construction over several cars passing nearby, in another accident linked to the same project. Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has ordered an investigation into this recent incident with the aim of preventing further accidents.
"Accidents in construction projects are common in Thailand due to the lax enforcement of safety standards and the use of unqualified personnel," highlighted a source from the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
