A Myanmar worker was buried alive late Wednesday night in an underground tunnel near the Bang Na train station.
The tunnel is part of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority’s (MEA) major project to move all overhead power lines and communication cables underground.
Workers at the scene and the on-site project supervisor told Bang Na police that the victim was working alone in the tunnel, about ten metres underground, when the tunnel wall caved in on him.
They rushed to rescue him but were unable to pull him out in time to save his life.
An emergency response unit arrived at the scene about half an hour after the accident. With the help of digging equipment, it took rescue workers about an hour to extract the victim’s body from the tunnel.
Police said they will summon the engineer supervising the construction work for questioning today to determine the exact cause of the accident and who should be held accountable.
The MEA is currently implementing the project to bury power lines and communication cables from Bang Na intersection to Sukhumvit Soi 107.
Work began on December 1 last year and is scheduled to be completed by July 31.
Tunnelling normally begins at 10pm and ends at 5am the following morning to avoid disrupting daytime traffic on Sukhumvit Road.
