Bangkok’s Rama II motorway construction put on hold after fatal crane collapse
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has ordered work on a city motorway to be suspended for two weeks after Friday’s crane collapse on Rama II Road which resulted in six deaths and nine injuries.
The incident took place on the outbound traffic lanes of the elevated Ekkachai-Ban Phaeo Intercity Motorway 82 (M82) site in Khok Krabue sub-district of Muang district of Samut Sakhon at 4.13am.
A launching gantry crane collapsed and precast concrete segments caved in, according to initial findings. At the time of the collapse, 39 staff were working at the site with a foreman reporting that many workers fell along with the concrete segments.
Of the six who died, four were from Myanmar, and two were Thai nationals. Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the collapse.
Mr Suriya expressed condolences to the families of those who died in the collapse, and added the upsetting scenes had also damaged public trust in the safety of major roadworks.
The ministry has issued a 14-day suspension order on the work and ordered the contractor, Udomsak Cheingmai Co, to pay 1 million baht to each family of the deceased.
It also ordered the Department of Highways (DoH) to assess the safety of other structures at the site during to its investigation.
The probe team is made up of members of the Council of Engineering and Engineering Institute of Thailand as well as highway engineering experts.
The team has been given a 15-day deadline to report its findings to the Transport Ministry, said Mr Suriya, adding the contractor will be banned from procurement bidding for a year if the investigation finds it responsible for the fatalities due to gross negligence.
Measures are being drawn up by the Comptroller-General’s Department to punish contractors who repeatedly fail to meet quality and safety standard requirements.
Any contractor whose negligence has fatal consequences in three state projects will be banned from vying for state concessions nationwide and risks being permanently removed from the list of qualified bidders.
The crane collapse saw a build-up of vehicles stretching more than 10km on one of the busiest routes out of Bangkok during Friday night traffic.
Meanwhile, Pornpisut Bunsiri, assistant director of the Samut Sakhon disaster prevention and mitigation office, said the body of a Myanmar national, identified as Peao Koko, 18, was pulled from the collapsed section at 6.15 am on Saturday.
Peao was reported to be the last victim, bringing the number of deaths to six — four Myanmar nationals and two Thais. The collapse also injured nine others, with four having already been discharged from hospital.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2911856/rama-ii-motorway-construction-put-on-hold-after-fatal-crane-collapse
