Accident Welder Rescued After Falling on 20-Metre-High Grain Silo in Lampang

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Amarin

 

A dramatic high-angle rescue operation took place in Lampang province on the afternoon of 7 May, after a local welder fell and became stranded atop a 20-metre-high grain silo at a rice mill in the Mae Yao area of Ko Kha district. The man, identified as Mr Odd, aged 35, suffered a broken right arm in the fall but was safely rescued after a tense two-hour operation.

 

The incident occurred around 14:00, when Mr Odd, a steelwork contractor from Ko Kha, was welding a roof frame above the grain silo. According to initial reports, he had climbed a fixed ladder up the 20-metre-tall structure to carry out the task. While attempting to ascend a further 4 metres to reach the precise welding point, he slipped and fell, landing heavily on the top of the silo itself. Immobilised by his injuries and unable to descend, he was left in a perilous position.

 

Emergency services were quickly notified, and over 30 personnel from multiple rescue agencies, including the Lampang Rescue Association, Sawang Lampang Rescue Unit, Ko Kha Rescue Team, and a high-angle rescue unit from Chiang Mai, rushed to the scene. The height of the silo and the man’s condition made the rescue particularly complex.

 

Rescue workers employed high-angle rescue techniques, ropes, pulleys, and a basket stretcher to reach Mr Odd. Equipped with oxygen and IV fluids, medics ascended to stabilise him on-site before carefully lowering him to safety. Local residents and mill workers watched anxiously from below as the operation unfolded.

 

Once safely on the ground, Mr Odd was transported by ambulance to Ko Kha Hospital, where he received immediate medical attention. 

 

Authorities have praised the coordinated effort of the rescue teams and urged tradespeople and contractors working at height to ensure proper safety measures are in place, including the use of harnesses and fall protection equipment, to prevent future incidents of this kind.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-05-08.