Pak Khlong San district police in Bangkok have been coordinating with the owner of a barge over the salvage of a vessel which sank in the Chao Phraya River on Thursday, near the Krung Thep Bridge.

The barge, carrying rocks, was being towed from Si Chang Island in Chon Buri to Nakhon Luang district of Ayutthaya province and accidentally struck a support pillar of the Krung Thep Bridge.

The barge then took on water and gradually sank, leaving only its roof visible.

Boonmee Kaewbuadee, a security guard at a house near the river, told the media that he heard someone shouting and saw the barge slowly sinking. Someone on the lead vessel then cut the rope which was tethering the barge.

He claimed that, in the past ten years, he has seen as many as 6 boats sink in the same area, but does not know why.

Pak Khlong San police said that the sunken barge does not pose a threat to other vessels, because it is close to the bank.