Two killed in another construction crane collapse

Two people were killed after a construction crane collapsed onto a highway in Thailand, a day after a crane accident in another part of the country left 32 people dead.

The crane was being used to build an expressway in Samut Sakhon, a Bangkok suburb. Footage shows the moment the crane crashed onto the highway, crushing some cars and leaving a cloud of dust and debris on its trail.

Wednesday’s crane collapse in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima had seen a crane fall on top of a moving train, leaving more than 60 people injured.

Construction works in both incidents are being handled by the same company, Italian-Thai Development, one of Thailand’s largest builders.

The incidents underscore how deadly construction accidents are common in the South East Asian nation, due in part to weak enforcement of safety standards and regulations.

Around 150 people have been killed over the past seven years in numerous accidents on a road improvement project from Bangkok to the south of the country.

The expressway where Thursday’s collapse happened had been nicknamed “Death Road” due to several accidents there in recent years, news agency AFP reported.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would address “negligence” in construction after Wednesday’s accident.

The State Railway of Thailand has also said it is suing the Italian-Thai Development company.

The company is also responsible for the construction of a Bangkok skyscraper that collapsed last March during an earthquake, when no other buildings in the city fell.