Worker Trapped in 19-Metre Hole at Bangkok Railway Site Sparks Frantic Rescue Effort
Bangkok, Thailand — Emergency crews raced against time on Monday to rescue a construction worker who plummeted into a 19-metre-deep hole at the Orange Line railway construction site near Soi Lan Luang 6 in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai district of Bangkok.
The incident occurred around midday on Lan Luang Road, according to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation. Witnesses said the worker, believed to be from Si Sa Ket province, was tightening a nut on machinery near the edge of the excavation when the sandy ground beneath him gave way.
The collapse sent the man plunging into the deep pit, which television footage later showed was rapidly filling with water. Rescue teams and volunteers scrambled to the scene, deploying excavators and water pumps in a desperate bid to reach him.
One of the rescuers, who descended into the hole, reported being unable to locate the worker even at the 19-metre depth, raising fears that the victim could be buried even deeper under the unstable soil.
An ambulance stood by at the site as anxious family members gathered nearby, clinging to hope and praying for what they called a “miracle.”
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand confirmed the incident took place at the Lan Luang station excavation site, part of the new Orange Line route connecting Bang Khun Non and the Thailand Cultural Centre.
