Another construction crane collapse in Thailand kills 2 people a day
after deadly train derailment
[January 15, 2026]
By JINTAMAS SAKSONCHAI and WASAMON AUDJARINT
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto
an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day
after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern
Thailand and killed 32 people.
The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery
leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents,
some of them fatal.
The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon
province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the
government’s Public Relations Department.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7
that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped
in the wreckage.
There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is
still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart
Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could
happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no
rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety
assessments.”
At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors
ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers
listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier,
but that was still being investigated.
Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three
carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.
The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry
crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated
roadways.
Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and
have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told
reporters.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late
30s, was among the dead.
The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated
with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt
and Road Initiative.
In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon
Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.
[to top of second column]
|
A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated
expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15,
2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand,
said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a
Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.
A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as
Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company
would pay compensation to the families of the dead and
hospitalization expenses for the injured.
Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead
contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took
place, though several other companies are also involved.
The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was
also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok
that collapsed during construction last March during a major
earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the
worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.
Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including
Italthai's president and the local director for the company China
Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in
the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and
Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more
indictments.
The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn
attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the
construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok
where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said
Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had
expressed condolences.
___
Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin
Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
