Elevated Overpass Collapses in Bangkok, 2 Killed, 10 Injured

On Monday evening, an elevated overpass section under construction on Luang Phaeng Road in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district collapsed, killing two people and injuring 10 more, at around 6 p.m.

The 500-metre-long section is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s 2.2-kilometer-long Onnut-Lat Krabang elevated overpass project.

The collapse scene extended from a Lotus branch in Lat Krabang to the Jorakay Noi police station in Bangkok.

According to preliminary findings, a crane that was raising the four-lane concrete road portion overturned, causing the section of the overpass to fall to the ground.

The portion of the overpass crushed vehicles on the road below, while other steel structures collided with commercial buildings along the road.

Two people were killed instantaneously inside a car. The part of Luang Phaeng Road that was restricted to traffic was also closed, and the accident created a blackout in the area.

U-turn overpass collapses

Two persons died, and two more were injured in August 2022 when a beam collapsed from a U-turn overpass onto the Rama II Highway in Muang district.

It happened near the 34-kilometer mark on the Rama II Highway, on the Thon Buri-Pak Tho road, in front of Vibharam Samutsakhon Hospital.

A massive concrete beam about 10 metres long and five tonnes in weight, along with its concrete rail guard. Three vehicles were passing beneath the flyover, which was blocked for maintenance.

On the Bangkok-bound side of the highway, the beam landed directly on top of a Chevrolet automobile and partially on a pickup truck and an empty oil tanker.

A woman in the front passenger seat of the car was crushed and murdered. Eyewitnesses helped the injured driver get out of the car. The pickup truck’s five passengers narrowly avoided damage as the beam crunched the front of the car.

Two workers on the flyover were injured, and one died as a result of his injuries.

The accident generated a traffic gridlock. Only the frontage lanes were open to motorists. Highway officials shut down the motorway lanes due to concerns that the flyover construction was hazardous.

Because of wear and tear, the Highways Department closed the 29-year-old U-turn flyover for maintenance.

It was heavily utilised by large trucks, and the surface had eroded to the steel reinforcing rods in places. The maintenance work was originally scheduled to be completed at the end of the month.