Five people were killed and 24 injured when a bridge under construction on Rama 2 Road in Chom Thong district collapsed at about 1.48am this morning.
Fire and rescue workers evacuated dozens of people from the accident site, with some stranded on cranes.
The JS100 traffic radio Facebook page reported that a concrete beam, which was part of the new construction about 200m from an expressway entrance, collapsed onto an existing expressway structure. A number of workers were on site.
All traffic, including on the Dao Khanong expressway, has been shut down to facilitate rescue efforts.
Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit ordered the contractor responsible for the Rama 2 elevated expressway to pay at least one million baht in compensation to each of the families of those who died.
The Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (ETA) will help all those injured.
Suriya, who visited the site of the fatal accident today, also offered his condolences to the families of the dead.
Three Thais, including one engineer, plus two migrant site workers were killed when a cross beam collapsed on them. 24 other workers were also injured, some seriously.
The contracting company’s work was suspended for 14 days, pending an investigation into the cause of the collapse.
ETA Governor Surachet Laopoonsuk said that workers, with the help of heavy machinery, have been trying to clear debris from the road surface, so that the in-bound Dao Khanong expressway can be reopened to traffic, hopefully within seven days.
As for the out-bound expressway, he said that it might take about a month to reopen to traffic.
The accident affects both in-bound and out-bound traffic at the Dao Khanong toll plaza, making it impossible to use the Rama 2 Road. Motorists are advised to use Suksawat and Kanchanapisek roads instead.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, said today that, from his assessment of images, the collapse of the cross beam might have been caused by it not being strong enough or the structure that supported the beam not being able to support the load.
He suggested that a technical committee should be set up to inspect the materials used in the construction.
