Landslide Buries Workers Inside High-Speed Rail Tunnel Construction in Nakhon Ratchasima

[Georgealbert]

 

 

Picture from responders at the tunnel entrance
 

August 25, at approximately 01.00, a landslide buried three vehicles and trapped workers inside a tunnel being constructed for the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project in Chanut Subdistrict, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima. The incident occurred while workers were excavating the tunnel, located between 600 metres and 2 Km deep into the tunnel, despite no rainfall at the time.

 

According to witnesses, workers were operating backhoes and loaders when the mountainside suddenly gave way, causing a massive landslide that engulfed three vehicles, including a supervisor's car. The unexpected collapse sent a deafening noise through the site, leaving two workers and a supervisor trapped inside the tunnel. Rescue teams from the Sawang Metta Foundation and construction site staff are working to clear the entrance and the tunnel to reach those trapped. It is believed that 2 workers and a supervisor are trapped inside the tunnel.

 

Earlier this morning the rescue mission was temporarily suspended, because when the backhoe was Being used to remove the soil it just continued to collapse and the rescue is likely to take most of today.

 

Pak Chong District Chief Kanatchanont Sricharoen, Chanut Subdistrict Mayor Sompong Rodtun, and local police have arrived at the scene near the Chanthuek Railway Station but are awaiting senior construction officials to proceed with further inspections and review the rescue plan.

 

The Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project, which began construction in 2017, aims to connect Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima by 2026. The project is a key part of Thailand’s efforts to boost its economy and strengthen trade links with Mekong region countries, positioning the nation as a hub for rapid transportation in Indochina.

 

-- 2024-08-25

 

 

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Picture of the rescue scene.

[Tropicalevo]

27 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

The project is a key part of Thailand’s efforts to boost its economy and strengthen trade links with Mekong region countries

 

And there was me thinking that is was so that China could import more cheap, tacky goods more efficiently.

 

I hope that they get the guys out safely.

Edited August 25 by Tropicalevo

[Georgealbert]

The 3 persons reported missing are ;

 

1. Mr. Hu Siang Min, male, Chinese nationality (supervisor);

2. Mr. Dong Chin Lin, male, Chinese nationality, backhoe driver;

3. Unknown Burmese worker, truck driver.
 

Mr. Pasan Sawatburi, Senior Vice President of the construction company, said that the company has not yet received a report of the exact cause and is currently conducting an inspection of the area. The tunnel work is under Contract 3-2, Muak Lek and Lam Takhong Tunnel, a distance of 12.23 kilometers. As of July 2024, the company has completed construction at 74% of the tunnel.

 

Picture below shows the planned tunnel route.

 

[Photoguy21]

China is good for many things, Dim Sum for instance and..................cant think of anything else off hand. Give me a year or two and I may think of something.

It is hoped that the guys trapped are rescued and alive.

[FritsSikkink]

16 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

China is good for many things, Dim Sum for instance and..................cant think of anything else off hand. Give me a year or two and I may think of something.

 

You could use google and know it a bit quicker: List of Chinese inventions - Wikipedia

[Photoguy21]

2 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

You could use google and know it a bit quicker: List of Chinese inventions - Wikipedia

I have worked with the Chinese and they are terrible when it comes to safety. It is a word that obviously does not exist in the Chinese language.

[Artisi]

37 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

China is good for many things, Dim Sum for instance and..................cant think of anything else off hand. Give me a year or two and I may think of something.

It is hoped that the guys trapped are rescued and alive.

Don't think too hard, I'll give you a few clues to start with : road systems, bridges, tunnel, high-rise buildings - that should save you at least 1 year of thinking. 

[Georgealbert]

Short video from the tunnel, as the rescue is ongoing.

 

[Photoguy21]

14 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Don't think too hard, I'll give you a few clues to start with : road systems, bridges, tunnel, high-rise buildings - that should save you at least 1 year of thinking. 

And will last less than 1 year with extensive user. Think about that.

[MartinBangkok]

Probably only 100 "Safety First" signs. Should have had 200.

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
 

August 25, Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr. Surapong Piyachot, addressed the media following the Khlong Phai tunnel collapse, which left three workers missing.
 

The initial reports from the Department of Rail Transport (DRT) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) indicate that the collapse occurred around 23:00 on August 24. The incident happened during the construction of the Khlong Phai tunnel, part of the 3-2 contract for the Muak Lek and Lam Takhong tunnels under the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project, Phase 1 (Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima).

 

The roof of the tunnel collapsed, burying workers and construction vehicles, including a backhoe, near Klong Khananchit Station. The collapse site is approximately 2-3 kilometres from the tunnel's entrance. The three missing individuals have been identified as:

1. Hu Xiangmin, male, Chinese national (Supervisor)  
2. Tong Xinlin, male, Chinese national (Backhoe Operator)  
3. Unknown Burmese labourer (Truck Driver)

 

Deputy Minister Surapong expressed his regret over the incident and concern for the missing workers. He has ordered the Department of Rail Transport and the SRT to investigate the cause of the collapse and to inspect the construction standards of all rail tunnels across the country. He emphasised that if any procedural violations are discovered, construction should be temporarily halted to ensure safety before resuming.

 

The SRT is working closely with rescue teams and the construction contractor to remove the debris and search for the missing workers. Geotechnical experts and safety officers are currently on-site to determine the cause of the collapse, as the search continues, with no sign of the missing workers. 
 

The Department of Rail Transport has also instructed relevant agencies to investigate the incident thoroughly, coordinate with legal authorities, and ensure that engineering, safety, and legal standards are met. Efforts are underway to assess the contractual obligations, insurance coverage, and compensation measures for the victims. The ministry aims to prevent further tragedies and ensure the highest safety standards in future tunnel construction projects across the country.

 

-- 2024-08-25

 

 

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[Georgealbert]

UPDATE

 

 

Picture showing the area where the tunnel roof has collapsed.
 

Authorities are still trying to reach the three workers trapped inside the Khlong Phai railway tunnel, and some have reported hearing noises coming from the other side of the collapsed area.

 

Mr. Ekarat Sriarayanpong, head of the Governor's Office of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), provided an update on the rescue operations. Specialists have been brought in to oversee the rescue, taking into consideration the unstable geological structure and the technical complexities of tunnel construction to prevent further incidents.

Rescuers overnight were working to insert an air pipe to pump oxygen into the area where the workers are trapped, and they believe there is only 20 metres of earth left between them and the trapped workers.
 

The team will then attempt to insert a rescue tube with a diameter of 1.20 metres to safely extract the workers, which is hoped to be completed by the morning of 26 August.

 

-- 2024-08-26

 

 

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[NorthernRyland]

A train from China going directly into Thailand is a nightmare. If it carries passengers it has the capacity to ruin entire cities. Horrifying stuff.

[Edwin Cameron]

Chinese workmanship is abyssmal. go anywhere in China and you will see not so old buildings falling apart,NO B.S. they are corrupt and cut corners or use inferior products, so I'm not surprised this is happening,belt and road...Phoooey..!

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, Artisi said:

Don't think too hard, I'll give you a few clues to start with : road systems, bridges, tunnel, high-rise buildings - that should save you at least 1 year of thinking. 

Don't forget the Dams... 

[kwaussie]

16 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

China is good for many things, Dim Sum for instance and..................cant think of anything else off hand. Give me a year or two and I may think of something.

It is hoped that the guys trapped are rescued and alive.

China has a space station and builds lots of warfare, dont forget the submarine! 

[spidermike007]

Don't blame the Chinese. The Thais are building this. If the Chinese were, the entire Bangkok to Nong Khai corridor would have been completed years ago. Instead they trudge along with the first stage, many years into the project. 

 

On 11 July 2017, the Thai Cabinet approved the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to execute the Project on Bangkok–Nong Khai HSR Development for Regional Connectivity (Section 1: Bangkok–Nakhon Ratchasima). The project is an international joint development at the government level between Thailand and China. In this regard, the Thai government is responsible for entire project investment, civil works construction, and application of Chinese construction technologies and railway systems.

[Colabamumbai]

Hope they find their work permits. 

[Expat Tom]

As a former corporate recruiter (head headhunter) we had develop RIL (Reason For Leaving, other than money, to entice a candidate to leave a job to work for our client. I have lived in Thailand for a long time and love my time here but my "RFL" list grown daily. Thailand is truly a wonderful country run by idiots.  I high speed railway to China? Just what Thailand needs, a quicker way for hoards from the North in invade and bring gifts with them like Covid-20. It is not a conspiracy theory. It is a FACT that the first case of Covid 19 outside of China  reported outside of China was a Thai taxi driver that carried some Chinese guests from the airport to their hotel in Bangkok.

 

Thailand doesn't need a high speed rail link to China. Thailand need to build a wall on its Northern boarder. 

 

My "RFL" list grows as I work on my exit plan.

[Iron Tongue]

12 minutes ago, kwaussie said:

China has a space station and builds lots of warfare, dont forget the submarine! 

Looky, looky.

 

Hey guys!

Remember that recent discussion about Chinese posting on AE, and I wrote that they always pose as white folks, and used names like "Joe in Australia" to try and blend in?

 

[simon43]

6 minutes ago, Iron Tongue said:

Looky, looky.

 

Hey guys!

Remember that recent discussion about Chinese posting on AE, and I wrote that they always pose as white folks, and used names like "Joe in Australia" to try and blend in?

 

Whether he is a shill or not, the facts speak for themselves.  Apart from the Chinese space station and numerous other space projects to Mars and the Moon, down on Earth we have the Laos high speed railway line, with numerous tunnels and bridges.

 

We ignore Chinese technology, ability, determination etc at our peril....

[NemoH]

Sigh ... was in upstream Oil and Gas - the Chinese were more efficient because they bought drilling equipment without all the safety checks and certifications. Imagine a drill that usually cost USD$1M or more only cost USD300,000 from a chinese Supplier. They will use it all the way until accident happens but even then - the insurance pay and the sum paid out are so little under Chinese laws or for the matter - Thai laws. So commercially it is worth all the risks to forgo safety checks for them. So if you use heavy equipment for a chinese company, - it usually does not have safety checks and certifications. So your life is at risks.

 

Life is cheap in China and Thailand.

[Arthur Mullard]

20 minutes ago, Iron Tongue said:

Looky, looky.

 

Hey guys!

Remember that recent discussion about Chinese posting on AE, and I wrote that they always pose as white folks, and used names like "Joe in Australia" to try and blend in?

 

 

Oh God don't they just... and try to blend in as part of Thai Buddhist culture and the international community here. Back home they mostly cow tow to an atheist autocratic system which eschews integrating on the same level as everybody else... 

[Arthur Mullard]

19 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Whether he is a shill or not, the facts speak for themselves.  Apart from the Chinese space station and numerous other space projects to Mars and the Moon, down on Earth we have the Laos high speed railway line, with numerous tunnels and bridges.

 

We ignore Chinese technology, ability, determination etc at our peril....

 

Don't get too carried away.....

[OldmanJ]

Neither of the 2 countries don't have a great safety record and when together,a receipe for a unfortunate disaster isn't to far away.I hope the trapped people can be retrieved well and alive soon.

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, Edwin Cameron said:

Chinese workmanship is abyssmal. go anywhere in China and you will see not so old buildings falling apart,NO B.S. they are corrupt and cut corners or use inferior products, so I'm not surprised this is happening,belt and road...Phoooey..!

this is obvious and well documented. Please the person who gave the "confused face" reaction come forward and explain what's so confusing about this statement. 

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, Expat Tom said:

I high speed railway to China? Just what Thailand needs, a quicker way for hoards from the North in invade and bring gifts with them like Covid-20.

I'd rather get COVID than be exposed to hordes of Chinese pushing and shouting. They could so easily destroy cities like Chiang Mai and obliterate the property market in a few years like they did in Vancouver and other cities around the world. Imagine the new 5 year visa and a train directly into CM. Game over if that happens.

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

I am sure there is a reason, but WHY are they not using a tunnel boring machine . These days far simpler 

[Aussie999]

19 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

I have worked with the Chinese and they are terrible when it comes to safety. It is a word that obviously does not exist in the Chinese language.

Or Thai language...well, certainly not taught or thought of

Edited August 26 by Aussie999

[Aussie999]

2 hours ago, Arthur Mullard said:

 

Oh God don't they just... and try to blend in as part of Thai Buddhist culture and the international community here. Back home they mostly cow tow to an atheist autocratic system which eschews integrating on the same level as everybody else... 

Using your logic, most Thais, Chinese, Japanese, Indians,Burmese, etc are all atheists, well done, you have label almost half the world's population... How did we atheists survive, for so long...