A 15-year-old boy was killed after being pulled into the cable system of a piling crane rig, at a condominium construction site in Pattaya, Chonburi, on 18 June 2026. Emergency services were alerted at 5.15pm after reports that a person had been dragged into the base of a piling machine inside a large construction project in Thepprasit Soi 7.

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Rescue workers from Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya, together with police from Pattaya City Police Station, arrived to find construction workers gathered around the machine but unwilling to approach it. At the base of the piling rig, officers found the body of a 15-year-old boy, identified as Patcharaphon Chaimongkol, known as “Nong Phet”. He had been pulled into the rotating cable mechanism and suffered fatal injuries.

Rescue personnel faced significant difficulties recovering the body from the machinery. The operation required cutting parts of the machine and cable system before the victim could be removed. The victim’s mother, 44-year-old Wipawadee, and his stepfather, 29-year-old Kantaphon Pongthonglang, were overcome with grief at the scene and later required medical assistance.

According to Mr Kantaphon, who operated the piling crane rig and was supervising work at the site, the incident occurred near the end of the working day. He said he had asked the teenager to help remove a battery from the machine before they returned home. While he was preparing equipment, the boy climbed onto the piling winch area without instruction or permission and was pulled into the rotating cable system within seconds.

Mr Kantaphon told reporters that the victim was his stepson and occasionally helped with work at the construction site after deciding not to continue his studies. He said the teenager normally assisted with ground-level duties, such as handling slings and was never authorised to work on the upper sections of the machinery because he lacked the necessary training and experience.

Pictures courtesy of Naewna

The stepfather also described the boy’s final moments, stating that he remained conscious briefly after the accident and said, “I am hurt, help me,” before his condition rapidly deteriorated. Witnesses reported that Mr Kantaphon repeatedly attempted to stop the machine and rescue the teenager but was unable to reach him in time.

Naewna reported that police have launched an investigation into the incident. Pattaya police chief Pol Col Anek Sarathongyu ordered investigators to interview witnesses and individuals connected to the condominium project to determine whether the death resulted from an accident or negligence. The body has been transferred to Bang Lamung Hospital for a post-mortem examination, after which relatives will be able to arrange funeral rites.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Naewna 19 June 2026

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Construction sites and any device with the word crane in it very dangerous here!

The story makes you wince twice, first at the sheer horror of the boy's death, and then at the stepfather’s attempt to frame it as the boy’s “lack of training”.

A 15‑year‑old shouldn’t be anywhere near an operating piling rig.

The stepfather was the one responsible for ensuring no untrained boy is climbing around a rotating cable drum. Trying to shift the blame onto the boy only highlights the stepfather’s own negligence, not the boy’s supposed inexperience.

This is exactly how Thailand’s construction sector keeps racking up preventable deaths: inexperienced people on worksites, zero enforcement, and operators who think they are not responsible for safety management.

Another catastrophic failure of worksite safety and responsibility!

The story makes you wince twice, first at the sheer horror of the boy's death, and then at the stepfather’s attempt to frame it as the boy’s “lack of training”.

A 15‑year‑old shouldn’t be anywhere near an operating piling rig.

The stepfather was the one responsible for ensuring no untrained boy is climbing around a rotating cable drum. Trying to shift the blame onto the boy only highlights the stepfather’s own negligence, not the boy’s supposed inexperience.

This is exactly how Thailand’s construction sector keeps racking up preventable deaths: inexperienced people on worksites, zero enforcement, and operators who think they are not responsible for safety management.

Another catastrophic failure of worksite safety and responsibility!

I don't disagree with you. But I did a bunch of stupid stuff at that age, if only to demonstrate that I was eager and bulletproof and a hard worker. At that age and zero experience, I had no clue just how dangerous a lot of it was.

I wouldn't have blamed those around me for not chaining me to a post.