At least two people were killed near capital Bangkok on Thursday after a construction crane collapsed onto a busy road, the second such accident in Thailand within 48 hours.
The latest incident took place in Samut Sakhon, just outside the Thai capital, when a crane being used to build an elevated highway fell onto Rama II Road, one of the main routes linking Bangkok to the south, police said.
Two vehicles were crushed, killing two people and injuring at least five others, according to the police. Rescue teams cordoned off the area as investigators examined the wreckage.
The latest accident has intensified the scrutiny of safety standards of the country’s major infrastructure projects.
The country’s acting transport minister told the Bangkok Post the construction work in both incidents was being handled by the same company. “Yes, it is Italian-Thai. I still do not understand what happened,” Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told the newspaper on Thursday when asked about the Rama II incident. He was referring to the company Italian-Thai Development Plc.
“We have to find out the facts, whether it was an accident or something else.”
It came a day after a crane from a high-speed rail construction site fell onto a moving passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 32 people and injuring at least 66 others, authorities said.
That crash derailed a train travelling between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani and prompted a national investigation into construction practices on major transport projects.
Thursday’s collapse adds to a growing list of fatal construction accidents, particularly along Rama II Road, which has seen multiple serious incidents over the past year.
In April 2025, an engineer was killed after concrete slabs fell from an overhead structure onto his pickup truck while he was driving beneath the same highway project. Weeks later, a fallen cable damaged several vehicles on the route, narrowly avoiding further casualties.
Thai media and safety experts have increasingly questioned why accidents continue to occur on large, government-backed infrastructure projects despite repeated warnings.
Following Wednesday’s train disaster, caretaker prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul demanded accountability from the State Railway of Thailand, saying those responsible must be held to account. Police have said evidence is being collected and criminal charges are being considered.
He asked why the contractor involved in the high-speed rail project had not been blacklisted despite the recurrence of similar accidents.
The back-to-back tragedies have fuelled public anger and renewed debate over safety oversight, contractor accountability and enforcement of building standards in Thailand.
The company, one of Thailand’s biggest construction firms, has been linked to several deadly accidents at its sites in recent years. The Italian-Thai Development PCL said it would take “full responsibility” for Wednesday’s accident and “provide full compensation and medical care” to the families of victims and the injured.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing into both incidents, with initial findings expected in the coming days. Transport officials have pledged reviews of safety procedures across major construction sites.
For now, traffic on parts of Rama II Road remains disrupted, while families of the victims prepare funerals.
The Independent has reached out to Italian-Thai Development Plc for a comment.
