Dozens Dead as Thailand Crane Collapses Spark Safety Review

A pair of construction crane collapses over two consecutive days in Thailand last week killed dozens of people and prompted government officials to temporarily halt work on other projects led by the contractor, Italian-Thai Development PLC. In the first incident on Jan. 14, a crane being used for a high-speed rail project fell onto a train traveling through Sikhio District in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province in central Thailand as it was passing below, carrying 171 people from Bangkok Aphiwat to Ubon Ratchathani, according to the Thai Ministry of Transport. At least 28 people died and 66 were injured, local authorities announced. The project is the first phase of a $5.7-billion, four-phase high-speed rail line planned to connect Thailand, Laos and China. More than 100 miles of the first phase is elevated, including the section where the collapse occurred over an operating rail line. The first phase, covering about 155 miles in Thailand from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, is more than 50% complete as of November, according to the joint government project owner. It is divided into 14 construction contracts, and Bangkok-based Italian-Thai Development has been working on at least three. Two more people died in a separate crane collapse involving Italian-Thai Development on Jan. 15, according to the ministry.. The second incident occurred near the Tha Chin River Bridge in Samut Sakhon Province at a project extending the Rama 2 Road, an elevated highway southwest of Bangkok. In a statement, Italian-Thai development said it took full responsibility for the incidents and said it would provide compensation to families of the deceased and medical care to the injured. Italian-Thai is a major contractor in Thailand, listing a variety of completed transportation infrastructure, energy and other projects on its website. Investigations Still Ongoing Officials did not immediately identify a cause for either crane collapse. The Thai Ministry of Transport announced investigations, and Italian-Thai Development said it would work with officials to resolve investigations and return to work. However, Prime Minister Anutin Charnivarukal threatened to terminate the government’s contracts with Italian-Thai, and the country’s transportation minister announced the contractor could face government blacklisting for alleged gross negligence. Thai officials said they were halting construction on 14 contracts with Italian-Thai as well as contracts for other large transportation infrastructure projects for at least 15 days for an investigation into safety standards. The. ministry established committees to investigate construction safety incidents and to implement a new contractor evaluation and screening system, Minister of Transport Pipat Ratchakitprakarn announced.