Thailand’s Transport Minister has ordered an urgent investigation after a highway construction crane collapsed near Bangkok on Thursday, killing two people, in what marked the second fatal crane accident in the country within 48 hours.
The latest incident occurred at the under-construction Rama II Expressway in Samut Sakhon province, a suburb southwest of Bangkok. Dashcam footage verified by AFP captured the moment the massive crane toppled, sending clouds of dust and debris across the roadway as motorists scrambled to pull over or reverse to avoid the falling wreckage.
Local police chief Sitthiporn Kasi confirmed that two people were killed in the crash. Several others sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital, according to rescue workers at the scene.
The tragedy followed a far deadlier crane collapse on Wednesday in Nakhon Ratchasima province, where a massive gantry crane fell onto a passenger train during construction of a China-backed high-speed rail project, killing at least 32 people.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told local media that the same construction firm, Italian-Thai Development, was involved in both projects.
“Yes, it is Italian-Thai. I still do not understand what happened on Thursday. We have to establish the facts—whether this was an accident or something else.” Phiphat said
Italian-Thai Development is one of Thailand’s largest construction companies but has been linked to several fatal site accidents in recent years.
Witnesses to Thursday’s collapse described scenes of panic and fear. Booncherd La-orium, a 69-year-old motorcycle taxi rider who works in the area, said the repeated incidents had left him shaken.
“I had goosebumps thinking about how risky it is to be here,” he told AFP. “I still can’t get over yesterday’s incident, and this morning another one happened again.”
In another dashcam recording from the same vehicle, voices can be heard expressing shock as the crane crashed down, narrowly missing passing traffic.
The Rama II Expressway is a major transport corridor linking Bangkok to southern Thailand and has been undergoing expansion works for several years. However, the project has been plagued by repeated accidents and delays, earning the route the grim nickname “Death Road.”
Residents and commuters say safety concerns have reached a breaking point. “It’s the same incident happening over and over again in Thailand,” said Surachai Wongho, a 61-year-old retiree who drives on the road daily. “It’s time for the government to do something.”
In March, a concrete beam from an elevated roadway under construction on the same expressway collapsed, killing several people. Additional crane-related accidents were reported in May 2023, January 2024, and November 2024, when at least three workers died.
Meanwhile, in Nakhon Ratchasima, recovery and investigation efforts continued on Thursday at the site of Wednesday’s rail disaster—one of Thailand’s deadliest train accidents in years. The Health Ministry confirmed 32 fatalities, three people missing, and 64 hospitalised, including seven in critical condition.
Italian-Thai Development has expressed condolences and pledged compensation for victims’ families, as well as medical coverage for the injured. Thailand’s rail operator has ordered construction on the high-speed rail project suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
Minister Phiphat said all parties involved—including Italian-Thai and a Chinese consultancy firm—would be held accountable as authorities work to determine the cause of the twin collapses.
