LAMPANG – Severe damage has been reported after a landslide at the Mae Moh mine, causing the office building and property belonging to Sahakon Equipment Co., Ltd. and its network of excavation and earthmoving contractors to collapse.
An Italian-Thai conveyor system was also hit. Early estimates put total losses at no less than 100 million baht. Executives from EGAT Mae Moh and related agencies have not yet been able to reach the scene.
The incident happened on the western spoil dump at Mae Moh mine, in Moo 6, Mae Moh subdistrict, Mae Moh district, Lampang. The slide brought down the office building of Sahakol Equipment Co., Ltd., a contractor for excavation and coal transport.
The building stood on a hill at about 500 metres above sea level and collapsed completely. Company property, cars, earthmoving vehicles, a van, and three large transformers were destroyed. Explosions sparked a fire from around 04.10 this morning, 4 November.
EGAT Mae Moh has issued its first statement. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Mae Moh, detected soil movement and a landslide on the southern side of the western dump, referred to as the SW Dump.
The office of Sahakol Equipment Public Company Limited and some assets were damaged. No injuries or deaths have been reported. Power supply in the North has not been affected.
Management from EGAT Mae Moh, the deputy governor of Lampang, the Mae Moh district chief, provincial disaster officers, local leaders, and other units have secured the area. Teams are inspecting the site. They cannot approach the slide point due to risk, as the soil continues to move. Damage assessment is underway.
Somchat Raksongphu, the headman of Ban Klang, Ban Dong subdistrict, posted on Facebook that the Mae Moh landslide shows why villagers near the spoil dump want to relocate. He said safety standards are lacking. He credited photos to Khun Saithong Wongkaewmool. The images show extensive destruction across a wide area.
An employee who saw the damage said the affected area includes buildings and assets of Sahakol Equipment Co., Ltd., a limited partnership named Walgarn, Pronprasit Co., and the conveyor system of Italian-Thai. Based on the scale of the damage, losses are expected to exceed 100 million baht.
Meanwhile, Mr Panomporn Tuikas, the Mae Moh district chief, said inspections inside EGAT’s Mae Moh site found the damage fell on private property, including the office, vehicles, machinery, and conveyors. EGAT has sealed a one‑kilometre radius to keep unauthorised people out, since the ground is still on the move.
To reduce danger, the district explosives licensing committee worked with the Lampang Provincial Police EOD unit that afternoon. They inspected and removed Sahakol Equipment’s stock to EGAT’s secure magazine as an emergency measure:
- 14,759 explosive charges
- 33,601 electric detonators
The slide is progressing on the south side of the western dump, which wrecked the company office. EGAT has declared an emergency. High‑voltage pylons sit along the slide path, and the ground keeps shifting. The company feared for the safety of the explosives store, so the stock had to be moved at once.
For the cause and next steps, EGAT called a meeting with relevant agencies at Room M1, Mae Moh mine office, this afternoon. EGAT will state the meeting.
