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A highway construction crane collapse near Bangkok killed two people on Thursday, prompting Thailand’s prime minister to vow to blacklist the contractor linked to another deadly crane failure a day earlier that claimed 32 lives.
AFP-verified dashcam footage captured the moment the huge crane crashed down, sending dust and debris across the highway as motorists stopped or reversed to escape falling rubble. Motorcycle taxi driver Booncherd La-orium said the incident left him fearful of operating in the area, describing how close he felt to death.
Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed that Italian-Thai Development, one of the country’s largest construction firms, handled the project and was also responsible for Wednesday’s disaster in Nakhon Ratchasima province. That incident involved a crane collapsing onto a passenger train, derailing it and killing 32 of nearly 200 people on board.
Italian-Thai Development issued a statement to Thailand’s stock exchange expressing condolences and pledging compensation to victims of Thursday’s crash. The firm also promised to strengthen and tighten safety measures, repeating similar assurances made after Wednesday’s tragedy.
Police said the crane fell at the under-construction Rama II Expressway in Samut Sakhon province, killing two people at the scene. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government would terminate contracts tied to the two projects, pursue legal action and blacklist the contractor involved.
“It has happened three or four times with one contractor. The government cannot be comfortable allowing such a company to continue working on public projects,” Anutin said.
The Rama II Expressway, a vital route linking Bangkok to southern Thailand, has earned the nickname “Death Road” after a series of fatal construction accidents. Despite years of expansion works aimed at easing congestion, the corridor has suffered repeated collapses, including a concrete beam failure in March and a crane accident in November 2024.
Thursday’s crash followed Wednesday’s rail disaster, one of Thailand’s deadliest in years, when a launching gantry crane used in a Thailand–China high-speed rail project fell onto a train below. Authorities have ordered construction to stop pending investigations, as families of victims gathered at the site to mourn and offer silent prayers.
