BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): A bridge under construction in Bangkok collapsed in the early hours of March 15, with initial reports confirming seven fatalities and many people injured.
The authorities are searching for about 30 people who are believed to be trapped under the debris of the Dao Khanong Expressway Bridge, which collapsed onto Rama II Road in the city’s Chom Thong district at 1.48am.
Police officers at Bang Mod Station were notified of the incident, which occurred near Soi 25 and the entrance to the Dao Khanong Expressway in Rama II Road in the Bang Mod subdistrict of Chom Thong.
Officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department and the Poh Teck Tung Foundation were already on the scene when the police arrived.
Officials said a concrete beam structure for the new bridge, which is under construction, collapsed onto the existing expressway bridge located about 200m from the toll booth.
Expressway Authority of Thailand governor Surachet Laophulsuk said on March 15 that initial investigations suggest that the cause of the collapse was an excessive amount of concrete poured on the beam connecting the Rama X Bridge to the Rama II off-ramp, causing the beam to crack and break under the weight.
The new bridge is part of the Rama III – Dao Khanong Expressway project.
The authorities are searching for missing and deceased individuals trapped under the collapsed structure.
The operation is being carried out methodically and with caution, as there is a risk of further collapse due to unstable structures.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has brought specialised tools and search dogs to assist in the search and rescue.
According to the latest update, the confirmed death toll stands at seven, with 16 injuries and about 30 people still trapped under the debris.
An aerial view reveals widespread damage around the collapsed structure, completely severing the expressway, which is a key route to Bang Mod, Bang Khun Thian, and Chom Thong districts.
Chom Thong Burana Road, which connects to Rama II Road at the construction site, is also completely blocked in all lanes as emergency crews continue their search and rescue operations.
A news source reported that the collapsed structure is the same type as the elevated expressway that collapsed on Rama II Road in November 2024. It is a large steel framework designed to support concrete beams and form part of the bridge structure.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing.
Mr Surachet said that the inbound route of the Dao Khanong Expressway should be usable within one week, but at least one month would be needed to repair the damage on the outbound route before it can be opened again.
“A committee will be set up to investigate the cause of the incident and to ensure that it will not happen again after construction resumes,” he said. “I am confident that the design itself was not the issue, it was likely the construction process that went wrong.”
He added that the Transport Ministry had set a schedule for this expressway project to be completed at the end of 2025, which would now likely miss the deadline. -- THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
