Picture courtesy of responders.

 

A sudden thunderstorm led to a incident on the afternoon of 18 April, when a large tree toppled onto a roadside shelter in Pa Bon District, killing a woman who had taken refuge from the rain.

 

The incident occurred at approximately 15:00, in Moo 11, Khok Sai Subdistrict. Pol Lt Sunthorn Yingyong, duty officer at Pa Bon Police Station, together with local rescue workers, responded swiftly to reports of the shelter collapse.

 

 

Upon arrival, emergency services discovered the body of Ms Kanjana Channukaew, 32, beneath the debris. She had been fatally crushed by the collapsed structure after the tree fell directly on top of it. Rescue personnel spent over an hour cutting through branches and dismantling the remains of the shelter to retrieve her body. Her motorcycle, parked nearby, was also damaged by the fallen tree.

 

Mr Jirayut Thongchankaeo, 35, the victim’s husband, recounted the harrowing moment. “It started raining very heavily, so my wife and I ran into the shelter to wait it out. Suddenly, the tree next to it came crashing down without warning. Me and another local resident managed to flee just in time, but my wife couldn’t get out quickly enough and was trapped.”

 

Local authorities are investigating the incident, while warning residents to remain vigilant during the ongoing storms.

 

-- 2025-04-19

 

Typical Thai tree pruning.