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

[Gottfrid]

20 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

hard rock miner

Safety in Chinese mining is zero, the guys at the face are not wearing self rescuers (SCSR) which in western countries is against the law  the guys will be gasping for breath no air getting to the face 

Only got one thing to say to you. Against the law in western countries. Ok, and what does that have to do with Asia, and Thailand?

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Only got one thing to say to you. Against the law in western countries. Ok, and what does that have to do with Asia, and Thailand?

You one word is SAFETY

[Georgealbert]

This is my personal opinion on this rescue (this is not the view of the AN news team, but my own).

 

The incident occurred after the roof collapsed, I have seen no details of the geological problem which caused this. 
 

It does appear that the workers were possibly in an area of unsupported ground, which is normally a no go zone, as before collapsing this type of roof should have shown some bowing or sagging, which should have been noticed on daily safety and geo tech inspections or by work teams.

 

Questions on safety standards that can be asked are, no self rescue devices on workers, no emergency refuge chamber given the distance of travel, lack of helmet lamps, workers in short sleeves and no tag board system, as they did not even know the name of the Myanmar worker..

 

it is unclear if the site had emergency plans in place and what liaison had taken place between other agencies, or if any drills or training had taken place.

 

Once the workers became trapped, there were 2 options, vertical or horizontal rescue. Given the unstable ground conditions and possible lack of suitable equipment, vertical access looked a non-starter.

 

it is strange that no communications equipment, radios, were in place, to establish initial contact with the missing workers. Also there is no evidence that the construction company had access to a horizontal drill rig, which could have initially drilled small exploratory holes to help located and contact the missing workers.

 

The USAR teams are well equipped, with life detection radar, endoscope cameras and seismic sound devices. The problem is gaining access through a very unstable earth pile, which continued to collapse. Concrete was injected in the collapsed area to try to help stabilise the rubble and the first plan, which failed, was the small circular pipe. The use of a construction of an old style mining access tunnel seemed the next logical and safe step, and clearance of the earth fall was never going to be achieved.

 

Incident command has been a problem, as there seems no structure in place with too many agencies wanting be involved at the response level.

 

Those agencies need to work together in the crisis command, supporting, not running the incident response, and provide the logistical support and deal with family and media requirements. Clear and concise media briefings would help convey a message that the rescue is under control.

 

Too many unrealistic promises have been made, setting rescue timings, which are always doomed to fail.

 

The good sign is that the first worker is found and alive, so hope remains for the other two.

 

 

[MikeandDow]

Very good post only thing is the company or contractor would have access to a horizontal drill rig as can be seen on the photos as the shotcrete need anchor bars drilled into the wall mind you looks very sparse in anchor bars 

it has to be noted tunnels are defined as a confined space would if any training been carried out plus the method excavating this tunnel is very old fashioned labor intensive but lives are cheap in Asia  

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

Medical teams are on standby inside the tunnel to evaluate whether the driver should be evacuated by helicopter,

Inside the tunnel?  555

[Georgealbert]

5 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Very good post only thing is the company or contractor would have access to a horizontal drill rig as can be seen on the photos as the shotcrete need anchor bars drilled into the wall mind you looks very sparse in anchor bars 

it has to be noted tunnels are defined as a confined space would if any training been carried out plus the method excavating this tunnel is very old fashioned labor intensive but lives are cheap in Asia  

i think any drilling for bolts would have been done by a Jumbo type vehicle. The bolts will only have to be shallow as it looks like the tunnel was using a metal lining, rather than mesh and shotcrete.

 

I was thinking more of the exploration type drill rig, so quick deep holes could be drilled and lined if necessary.

[MikeandDow]

2 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

i think any drilling for bolts would have been done by a Jumbo type vehicle. The bolts will only have to be shallow as it looks like the tunnel was using a metal lining, rather than mesh and shotcrete.

 

I was thinking more of the exploration type drill rig, so quick deep holes could be drilled and lined if necessary.

ok did not see the metal lining, but I have been in a lot of mines in my time and the safety in mines in Thailand is shocking, as for this  i would put it down to the company no training of workforce,

workers were possibly in an area of unsupported ground, which is normally a no go zone,

that is the first rule. no plan of action 

but whats going to happen Nothing !!!!  would like to see the geologic report for the area would not like to be on a high speed train going into that tunnel 

[Georgealbert]

Rescuers are still not able to reach missing worker.

 

Following the earlier statement to the media, that the first worker had been reached, it has now been clarified that the latest operation has been delayed again due to a large rock blocking the access route to the vehicle, so they are unable to reach him..

 

Officials must plan to break through the rock first to open the access route. The rescue teams have withdrawn from the tunnel to discuss a replan how to continue the operation.

 

Apologises that the information has changes, but the earlier report was based on statements made to the media by senior officials.

[pacovl46]

I'd say it's not looking good for the second and third guy. If all the oxygen they have is the one in the cabin of their vehicles then they'll run out before they can get to them.

 

Let's hope for the best, though! 

[placeholder]

On 8/26/2024 at 6:38 AM, spidermike007 said:

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.

If the Thais are building this, why is it that 2 out of the three trapped workers were Chinese and the other was Burmese?

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
 

No Survivors Reached Yet in Collapsed High-Speed Rail Tunnel

 

 

Picture of the life detector radar scan from evening of August 28.

The Incident Command Centre for the collapsed high-speed rail tunnel has issued an update on the search and rescue operations, which steps back from the statements made late evening of August 28, that the first worker had been rescued.

 

 

The current situation is summarised as follows:

 

1. The Chinese engineering team has been continuously strengthening and reinforcing support structures to allow rescue workers to safely search in areas where victims are believed to be trapped.

 

2. Rocks and soil obstructing the rescue team’s operations have been cleared from the area within the reinforced structures.

 

3. The USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team conducted a scan for signs of life and movement. Signals were detected at a depth of 1.8 metre beneath a large boulder.

 

4. Efforts to drill and break through the large boulder blocking the search route in the area where the scan detected signs of life are ongoing.

 

5. Three subsidence sensors have been installed on the tunnel ceiling to ensure the safety and security of rescue workers.

 

6. Medical teams, rescue units, and police officers have prepared a plan to transport any survivors to the hospital, once safety removed from the tunnel.

 

-- 2024-08-29

 

 

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[retarius]

Isn't not about time they got these poor chaps out? 

[MikeandDow]

16 minutes ago, retarius said:

Isn't not about time they got these poor chaps out? 

Feel sorry for the guys trapped but they have no chance with a bunch clowns doing this rescue

[Georgealbert]

High-Speed Rail Tunnel Collapse Incident: Update as of August 29, 06.00.

 

The Disaster Command Centre provided an update on the ongoing search and rescue efforts for individuals trapped inside the collapsed high-speed rail tunnel. The key developments are as follows:

 

 

1. Breakthrough in Excavation Efforts. At 02:00, a Chinese worker informed a Thai engineer that they had successfully used a hydraulic hammer to drill through soil and rock at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The drilling operation penetrated through the rock and found a layer of concrete, which had been mixed with a fast-setting agent and had previously been sprayed on the tunnel's surface and into the collapse, to help stabilise the situation.The concrete layer was about 1 metre thick and located at a point where scanning equipment had detected potential life signals.

 

2.Coordination with USAR Teams.: Upon receiving this information, the engineer coordinated with the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams to strategise the next steps for locating and rescuing the victims once the concrete layer was breached.

 

3. Structural Integrity The tunnel's ceiling and walls have been inspected, and no further signs of further collapse or structural deterioration have been detected.

Current Status No survivors have been reached at the site of the incident as of this report. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

 

-- 2024-08-29

 

 

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[sambum]

Must be terrifying for the trapped victims - a bit like the lads from the "Wild Boars" trapped underwater in the caves near Chiang Mai  a while back.

 

[MikeandDow]

31 minutes ago, sambum said:

Must be terrifying for the trapped victims - a bit like the lads from the "Wild Boars" trapped underwater in the caves near Chiang Mai  a while back.

 

Correct how did they get out by bring in EXPERTS

[sambum]

2 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Correct how did they get out by bring in EXPERTS

 

And Elon Musk, whose help of a mini submarine was rejected as unworkable, causing the "Great Man" to call one of the rescuers a "pedo guy". Spitting out the dummy or what?

[Georgealbert]

Vehicle Reached in Collapsed Railway Tunnel

 

 

Picture of the vehicle located by rescuers.
 

Authorities have located a vehicle in the collapsed railway tunnel. Rescue operations are ongoing, but efforts have been hindered by repeated landslides caused by loose soil and rocks from the surrounding mountains, forcing teams to shift to manual excavation.

 

 

At 09:30, August 29, Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Chaiwat Chuenkosum confirmed that a one-metre-thick layer of earth has been cleared, revealing the vehicle beneath, but the missing workers have not yet been found, LifeLocator radar detected signals indicating they are trapped about one metre below the vehicle.

 

 

-- 2024-08-29

 

 

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[thaipo7]

3 hours ago, retarius said:

Isn't not about time they got these poor chaps out? 

Read yesterday they were within a meter of getting them out.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, MikeandDow said:

Correct how did they get out by bring in EXPERTS

Experts were supposedly digging the tunnel... self inflicted..

I hope the stranded have a supply of water to drink or they'll be gone before rescued.

[MikeandDow]

11 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Experts were supposedly digging the tunnel... self inflicted..

I hope the stranded have a supply of water to drink or they'll be gone before rescued.

By the looks of the rescue efforts i would say No there are No expert hard rock miners there just look at the safety shocking!!! 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE

 

First Worker Found Dead in Tunnel Collapse

 

 

Picture from the scene of the body discovery.

 

A tragic discovery has been made as the first worker trapped in the collapsed railway tunnel has been found dead, with the efforts to rescue the remaining two workers are ongoing.

 

Ekarat Sriarayanpong, head of the Governor's Office at the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), provided an update on the rescue operation, which has now entered its fifth day.

 

At 11:00 on August 29, the SRT rescue team, alongside the Hunan Sunshine Rescue Team from China, confirmed the discovery of the first worker's body. The identity of the deceased has not yet been disclosed. The rescue teams have faced numerous challenges over the past few days, including continuous landslides from above the tunnel, which have complicated the digging process. Additionally, attempts to use a rescue pipe were hindered by rock layers, forcing the teams to switch to constructing support boxes to prevent further soil and rock from falling, which remains a significant obstacle.

 

 

Despite these difficulties, the rescue teams are working around the clock, with the hope of finding and rescuing the remaining two workers alive. The goal is to try to complete the rescue operation by the end of today.

 

The State Railway of Thailand has expressed its deepest condolences and is committed to providing full support and compensation to the family of the deceased worker.

 

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Transport Surapong Piyachote has encouraged the rescue teams to remain patient and cautious, emphasising the importance of safety during the rescue operations. 
 

 

-- 2024-08-29

 

 

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[JoePai]

A great shame and unfortunately do not hold out hope for the other 2

[Georgealbert]

Access to the rescue scene is restricted, but this video was taken this morning, August 29, showing the conditions at the point where the vehicle was located.

 

[Georgealbert]

Reporters stated that the first missing worker’s body that was found is the worker from Myanmar.

 

Officials have transported the body of that first worker from the tunnel. The rescue team's ambulance, brought the body out before driving away from the scene to hospital, where an autopsy will be carried out

 

 

 

[MikeandDow]

25 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

Reporters stated that the first missing worker’s body that was found is the worker from Myanmar.

 

Officials have transported the body of that first worker from the tunnel. The rescue team's ambulance, brought the body out before driving away from the scene to hospital, where an autopsy will be carried out.

 

Sorry to say but nobody is coming out alive its taken them 6 days + to dig a few meters the other guys are another 5 + meters

Would is going to be held responsible for this,  money will be paid and then forgotten  NO lesson learnt will be passed on, no improvement in workers safety   the guys died for nothing

[Tropicalevo]

41 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

NO lesson learnt will be passed on, no improvement in workers safety   the guys died for nothing

Quite normal for mines and underground excavations in China, and they are only the ones that are in the press.

Not sure of the mix of nationalities of the workforce here, but from the quote below, I suspect mostly Chinese.

Life is even more cheap in China.

 

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

alongside the Hunan Sunshine Rescue Team from China

 

[Watawattana]

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Transport Surapong Piyachote has encouraged the rescue teams to remain patient and cautious, emphasising the importance of safety during the rescue operations.

Well said Surapong Piyachote, totally agree.  Next, please commit to getting these sentiments into all current and future construction projects.  Every construction injury or death is avoidable.

[MikeandDow]

6 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Quite normal for mines and underground excavations in China, and they are only the ones that are in the press.

Not sure of the mix of nationalities of the workforce here, but from the quote below, I suspect mostly Chinese.

Life is even more cheap in China.

 

 

yes agree have worked with the Chinese before I was Amazed how old Fashioned there construction methods are and the safety unbelievable. my boss was a Chinese you could not talk to him and show him better way to do things they did not know you could add chemicals to concrete to make it cure faster he want wet straw laid down to cure the concrete I did not last long in that job    

[MikeandDow]

3 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

Well said Surapong Piyachote, totally agree.  Next, please commit to getting these sentiments into all current and future construction projects.  Every construction injury or death is avoidable.

Never happen, yes its ok for a Deputy Minister of Transport to say the importance of safety during the rescue operations. BUT it is Never implemented  Thais need to be self aware of a Safety culture it has to start from the top BUT it costs money and Thais wont spend money on Safety 

as i said before money will be given to the family's and that is the end  of the company's responsibility they will just carry on doing the same thing NO lesson learnt