Police: At least four killed in Thailand crane collapse

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - The Bangkok Post reported that the incident occurred around 1:48am near Rama 2 Soi 25, close to the Rama III-Dao Khanong expressway. — Picture via social media

BANGKOK, March 15 — A crane collapsed at a construction site in Thailand’s capital today, killing at least four people, police said, as rescuers worked to retrieve a fifth body from the debris.

The accident occurred in the early hours this morning on Rama II road, a major highway linking Bangkok to the country’s south.

At least four construction workers died at the site, where a tollway was under construction, and dozens were injured, police said.

“We have retrieved four bodies, but one remains trapped in the debris,” senior police official Sayam Boonsom told reporters at the scene, adding the fifth was presumed dead.

Among the four people killed, three were Thai nationals, he said.

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the collapse, Sayam added.

An eyewitness told local outlet Thairath TV he heard two loud bangs before seeing the crane fall.

“Workers were pouring cement when it happened,” he said.

Construction site accidents are common in Thailand where lax enforcement of safety regulations often leads to deadly accidents.

A crane collapse in Samut Sakhon, west of Bangkok, in November last year, killed three workers and injured 10 others.

In March 2024, seven people died in a similar crane collapse incident at a factory east of the capital.

And in 2023, at least two people died and a dozen were injured when a road bridge under construction in Bangkok collapsed. — AFP