19 minutes ago, Nabby said:

Chinese company. How utterly stupid the Thai government can be to allow Chinese companies to build infrustructure. It will all keep collapsing, crumbling, sinking, falling apart, killing innocent people -all for a great "Chinese deal."

Chinese company? I thought Thai Italian was the construction company?

Thing is, how often does this kind of accident (specifically crane collapses) occur in China? It's all very well blaming Chinese steel, but are those thousands of miles of Chinese-constructed roads and railways in Asia subject to similar accidents?

Always tell wife to not drive under any construction like this when possible and if I'm in a taxi I usually sit praying the driver thinks likewise 🙏 🙄

Just as a side note, I see not one vehicle even put their hazard lights on, even while reversing into oncoming traffic.......................

21 hours ago, petermik said:

Rarely a month goes by without an accident due to the construction work on this road.....death highway it is known as to Thai folk....

My son regularly travels between Hua Hin & Bangkok. He will never use that road, always take a slightly longer, but safer road.

46 minutes ago, brian69 said:

Just as a side note, I see not one vehicle even put their hazard lights on, even while reversing into oncoming traffic.......................

They are reserved solely for double parking while going into a 7/11.

23 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

officials secured the area to facilitate inspections and ensure safety.

What a pity they do not do that BEFORE an accident. Maybe then we would not see so many.

ItalThai : safety first 😬🤣

Well the way they operate is to load up as much as possible rather than safely. You see that with broken pick up trucks on the side of road loaded to beyond vehicle’s capability and eventually the chassis gives in. In this case I wouldn’t be surprised if they used the cranes beyond their maximum load capacity.

This project has been plagued by accident after accident, death after death, delay after delay, and the company responsible for this project needs to be fired, heavily fined, and the executives need to be in imprisoned, there is no other option, manslaughter and willful negligence would probably be the a good place to start.

However as we likely know the people in charge of this project are likely political big shots or "super elites" (lowlife folks with alot of cash) who are untouchable, so nothing will change. The Chinese should get involved in the building of this highway, as it's already 15 or 20 years behind schedule and the progress is a snails pace. It is not only a national disaster, it's a national embarrassment.

Note to self: Please avoid, if possible all Thai construction sites for the foreseeable future.

1 hour ago, brian69 said:

Just as a side note, I see not one vehicle even put their hazard lights on, even while reversing into oncoming traffic.......................

No, they only do that here when stopping in a queue for a red light or going straight on at a crossroads.

I see that only 28 deaths are recorded for the collapse of the Audit building, but didn't reports at the time suggest that more than 90 workers had died?

On 1/15/2026 at 10:34 AM, ozz1 said:

Chinese crane? its getting crazy hopefully investigated not covered up steel weakness again

Probably bought the crane on Lazada or Ali baba

This stuff just pains me to read. It sounds like the west in the 1930s and 1940s, when there was little regulation or oversight, coal mines, bridge building, subways, tunnels, a certain number of fatalities were status quo and expected. That said, even though the number of these things for such a small country is huge, they are not the only country with problems. I was surprised to find this: " Crane accidents in the U.S. result in around 42-44 fatalities annually, with major causes including being struck by loads or equipment, falls, and electrocutions, primarily affecting construction workers in states like Texas, Florida, and California, though precise numbers vary by year and data source.  " The difference here is it's stuff collapsing because of likely poor manufacture of the machinery, or that's my guess anyway.

I cannot believe another crane tragedy- same operator and I assume same approach to Health and Safety

RIP to the innocent victims in all this carnage

19 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Footage of the collapse from a different angle.

Video courtesy of Khaosod

Thanks. No wonder it collapsed. Looks incredibly flimsy from that angle.

On 1/15/2026 at 12:08 PM, Crossy said:

Yup, I'm sure they will find a suitable scapegoat.

Probably a low paid worker, preferably Khmer (for the Cambodia connection) and preferably dead so he can't defend himself!

Could be badly trained foreign workers or bad quality steel used to build these cranes, where did the steel come from.???

It is highly likely that unskilled labor over loaded the load on these two collapsed cases, the public ,must be informed, but doubt that will happen.

On 1/15/2026 at 10:34 AM, ozz1 said:

Chinese crane? its getting crazy hopefully investigated not covered up steel weakness again

The PM, and family, have shares in the company..

On 1/15/2026 at 12:08 PM, Crossy said:

Yup, I'm sure they will find a suitable scapegoat.

Probably a low paid worker, preferably Khmer (for the Cambodia connection) and preferably dead so he can't defend himself!

Especially when the PM has shares.

UPDATE

Second Victim Recovered After Rama 2 Crane Collapse

Picture courtesy of Naewna

Authorities in Samut Sakhon have recovered the second victim from a crane collapse on Rama 2 Road, while main traffic lanes remain closed in both directions, causing continued disruption to motorists. The incident occurred during construction of an elevated motorway, resulting in two deaths and prompting ongoing road closures on one of Thailand’s busiest routes.

The collapse involved a concrete beam segment and a launching gantry crane used in the construction of Special Highway No. 82, the Bang Khun Thian–Ban Phaeo elevated motorway. The incident took place at kilometre marker 30+300 on Rama 2 Road in Tha Chin subdistrict, Mueang district, Samut Sakhon province. The project section affected is Ekachai–Ban Phaeo Section 7.

On 16 January 2026, Samut Sakhon Governor Amnat Charoensri, acting as incident commander, visited the site to oversee operations and provide an update. During the night, rescue teams reached the body of the second victim, identified as a pickup truck driver trapped beneath the debris. The body was recovered on the morning of 16 January, after cranes and hydraulic lifting rams were used to lift the large concrete section off the wreckage, allowing access. The body was sent to Samut Sakhon Hospital for examination.

Officials confirmed that the collapse resulted in two fatalities and two people injured. Emergency and engineering teams have continued to secure the area to prevent further risks. The Department of Highways has assigned specialists to analyse the structure and assess how to safely remove the crane from the pier.

As a result of the incident, the main lanes of Rama 2 Road remain closed. Inbound lanes are shut between kilometre markers 28+400 and 32+000, while outbound lanes are closed between kilometre markers 29+100 and 30+600. Motorists can still use the parallel service roads in both directions, and authorities have advised using Phetkasem Road or Ekachai Road as alternative routes.

Naewna reported that provincial authorities stated that coordination is under way with relevant agencies to assist the families of the deceased and the injured. Efforts are focused on ensuring that heirs and victims can access compensation and welfare entitlements as quickly and smoothly as possible. Officials have not yet given a timeline for reopening the main carriageways.

Key Takeaways

• The second victim of the Rama 2 crane collapse was recovered on 16 January 2026.

• Main lanes of Rama 2 Road remain closed in both directions, with traffic diverted to parallel routes.

• Engineers are assessing how to safely remove the crane and restore the road surface

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Naewna 2026-01-16

 

 

7 hours ago, Leopold Bloom said:

Thing is, how often does this kind of accident (specifically crane collapses) occur in China? It's all very well blaming Chinese steel, but are those thousands of miles of Chinese-constructed roads and railways in Asia subject to similar accidents?

I'm not being facetious, but would we outsiders even be allowed to know if it happened in China?

On 1/15/2026 at 6:34 AM, balo said:

Shocking dashcam video, the last one, only seconds away from being crushed.

I have never heard of so many cranes falling down like in Thailand. Can anyone fix it , or should we be worried every time there is a crane nearby ?

So many. Even the odd one years apart is bad enough. I will think twice before driving under one on these damn things.

On 1/15/2026 at 5:02 AM, petermik said:

Rarely a month goes by without an accident due to the construction work on this road.....death highway it is known as to Thai folk....

Death railway now death highway. Death Thailand?

On 1/16/2026 at 1:44 AM, wensiensheng said:

Chinese company? I thought Thai Italian was the construction company?

It's just convenient for bigots to blame everything on the Chinese, regardless of the facts

29 minutes ago, kwilco said:

It's just convenient for bigots to blame everything on the Chinese, regardless of the facts

So you are saying that the Chinese who are the backers for this railway have no responsibility for what the appointed contractors do? It should be the organisations at the top who set the standards for contractors and audit them. That isn't bigotry, just the way it is in the developed World.

13 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

So you are saying that the Chinese who are the backers for this railway have no responsibility for what the appointed contractors do? It should be the organisations at the top who set the standards for contractors and audit them. That isn't bigotry, just the way it is in the developed World.

That may or may not be so. But it isn’t how the original post read. That post appeared to blame the Chinese for anything and everything including day to day construction on site. As I said, my understanding is that Thai Italian was the construction company involved on site.

18 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

As I said, my understanding is that Thai Italian was the construction company involved on site.

True but it was suggested that any criticism of the Chinese was based on bigotry. The fact that the Chinese have a pretty poor record for construction in their own country due to all sorts of reasons makes you wonder if bad practices in their own country makes them unsuitable to back and lead this project. At some stage it was actually suggested that China took on the construction of HS2 and Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the UK. Thank God the Government actually saw the folly in that.

This company needs to face total bankruptsy and never get to do any business in Thailand again, plus some Thai officials that

let them have these contracts should face justice, and get large fines as well. IMO