A huge metal construction girder has fallen
A huge metal construction girder over a busy road collapsed in the Thai capital Bangkok, killing at least two people and critically injuring several more. Videos of the terrifying incident have been shared online.
The massive metal girder on the Lat Krabang Tollway construction project to the east of the city crumpled to the ground late Monday afternoon, catching pedestrians and drivers unaware, according to an AFP report.
In a video shared by a social media user, the enormous metal platform - connected to unfinished parts of the highway - wobbles and then plummets to the ground.
The collapse on late Monday of a beam system supporting work on a raised bridge trapped several vehicles travelling on the busy thoroughfare in the Lat Krabang district, near Suvarnabhumi international airport.
Wisanu Subsompon, deputy governor of Bangkok, told a press conference Tuesday the damage may have been caused by an unbalanced crane.
"Work will be suspended until they have a safety plan," he said.
The roadwork is part of a project to build elevated highways in an attempt to ease the city's notoriously congested traffic.
Construction safety standards are lax in Thailand, where accidents are commonplace.
In 2016, at least 13 people were killed when a building under construction collapsed.
The accident had sparked protests from trade unions, who denounced the inadequacy of safety standards and the meagre wages paid to workers on construction sites.