Worker who fell into Bangkok sinkhole believed dead

A 33-year-old construction worker, who fell into a sinkhole in Bangkok’s Pom Prap Sattru Phai district yesterday, is believed to be dead, but his body has not yet been recovered.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said that the hole is full of soil and water, which likely led to the suffocation or drowning of the victim, identified only as “Dao”.

Suriyachai Rawiwan, Director of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department

“Based on all available information, it is likely that he has died. Our mission now is to calculate the exact location of his body in the sinkhole, which is about 21 metres deep,” Suriyachai stated.

It is estimated that Dao’s body, a native of Si Sa Ket province, may be approximately 16 metres below the surface and Suriyachai said that the recovery operation is expected to be completed before dawn.

Photo: Fire and Rescue Thailand's Facebook

The incident occurred at around 12.30pm. The victim was tightening bolts on machinery when the ground suddenly gave way.

Another worker at the scene said he tried to grab Dao but failed to reach him in time, as the soil quickly collapsed into the hole and buried him.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt // Fire and Rescue Thailand's Facebook

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) confirmed that the incident happened at a site where excavation work was being carried out for the construction of Lan Luang station.

The accident site remains cordoned off, to allow emergency crews to carry out recovery efforts safely.

Suriyachai also quoted the MRTA as saying that the collapse may have been partly caused by a broken water pipe in the area, which caused the softening and movement of the soil.