A construction worker was killed and another badly injured when a sling broke, causing the basket of a crane suspended in the air to collapse on Rama II Road in Bang Khunthian district of Bangkok on Thursday.
The incident happened at the under-construction elevated road near Soi 72 heading towards Kanchanaphisek Road in the Samae Dam area at 1.27pm, rescue workers said.
A rescue worker said he found two workers with serious injuries. One died on the spot and the other was seriously hurt and rushed to a hospital.
The crane operator reportedly said the basket was carrying the two men.
While the two workers were inside the basket, they did not phone or indicate any problems, said the operator. Suddenly, there was a loud noise.
When the operator ran out to check, he found a sling connected to the crane had broken. He immediately called a rescue team.
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit expressed his condolences to the family of the dead worker. He also ordered a three-day halt to construction so that the contractor can determine what caused the crane sling to break and inspect machinery at the site.
The construction of the expressway over Rama II Road has been beset by safety problems and accidents.
In May last year, a construction worker was killed and four cars damaged when a slab of concrete fell on the road from the under-construction expressway.
In July 2022, a five-tonne, 10-metre-long concrete beam collapsed and fell onto three passing vehicles on the same road off the U-turn bridge, killing two people and injuring five others.
