Crane Collapses on Expressway Outside Bangkok, Killing at Least 2

The deadly episode came a day after a crane fell on a moving train in northeastern Thailand, killing at least 32 people.The site where a construction crane collapsed onto a highway in Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand, on Thursday.Credit...Chanakarn Laosarakham/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJan. 15, 2026, 12:43 a.m. ETA crane collapsed on an accident-prone expressway on the outskirts of Bangkok on Thursday, killing at least two people, an official said. It was the second fatal episode involving cranes in the country in as many days.It was not immediately clear what caused the crane to collapse in Samut Sakhon Province, southwest of Bangkok. Crews are building an elevated section of the motorway, which is not yet open to traffic.Photos and videos posted on social media showed parts of the elevated structure caving in to the ground level after the crane fell.The collapse crushed two vehicles, according to The Nation newspaper. Rescue workers were on scene, and it was not immediately clear if there were any survivors. The authorities in Samut Sakhon did not answer repeated calls.The contractor of the expressway, Italian-Thai Development, was also the firm in charge of a construction site where on Wednesday a crane fell on a moving passenger train, Thailand’s transport minister, Phipat Ratchakitprakarn, told a local news outlet. At least 32 people died in the accident on Wednesday.Italian-Thai Development did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Thursday’s accident occurred when the construction site was not supposed to “be active,” Mr. Phipat said. He added that the government must consider halting all similar construction sites to review safety measures and prevent similar incidents from occurring.“I have to regain the public’s trust,” said Mr. Phipat, who is also a deputy prime minister.The incident occurred around 9:15 a.m. in front of a hotel on the outbound lanes of the Rama 2 Road, The Nation reported. Access to the area remained restricted as the area was deemed unsafe by the authorities. The accident is expected to cause a bottleneck of traffic leading to Bangkok.Rama 2 Road — designed to be the main artery connecting Bangkok to Thailand’s southern provinces — is often referred to by Thais as the “Road of Never-Ending Construction.” It is notorious for its frequent and often fatal accidents. The authorities have recorded at least 140 deaths from over 2,200 construction-related accidents between 2018 and 2025, and more than 1,300 injuries in the same period, according to a tally of data provided by Thailand’s Department of Highways.Kittiphum Sringammuang contributed reporting.Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times, overseeing coverage of 11 countries in the region.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store