A SECOND person has been confirmed killed and 12 others injured in the collapse of a road bridge under construction in Bangkok, Thai officials said today.

The collapse late yesterday of a beam system supporting work on a raised bridge trapped several vehicles travelling on the busy thoroughfare in the Lat Krabang district, near Suvarnabhumi international airport. 

A video released yesterday by the Disaster Prevention Department showed the structure’s sudden fall, raising a cloud of dust, while later videos showed the devastation left in the aftermath of the incident. 

Wisanu Subsompon, deputy governor of Bangkok, told a press conference today the damage may have been caused by an unbalanced crane.

“Work will be suspended until they have a safety plan,” he said.

The roadwork is part of a project to build elevated highways in an attempt to ease the city’s notoriously congested traffic.

Construction safety standards are lax in Thailand, where accidents are commonplace. 

In 2016, at least 13 people were killed when a building under construction collapsed.

The accident had sparked protests from trade unions, who denounced the inadequacy of safety standards and the meagre wages paid to workers on construction sites. – AFP, July 11, 2023.