Woman Falls Down Manhole Near MRT, Submerged in Sewage

Left: The new manhole being installed on June 19. Photo: Sansern Ruengrit / Twitter. Right: The cracked manhole on June 18. Photo: Huai Khwang District Office.
Left: The new manhole being installed on June 19. Photo: Sansern Ruengrit / Twitter. Right: The cracked manhole on June 18. Photo: Huai Khwang District Office.

BANGKOK — A woman was submerged in sewage and suffered minor injuries after stepping on a cracked manhole cover in front of MRT Ratchadapisek on Tuesday morning.

Jenipit Photkaew, 23, told traffic radio station JS100 that she was walking with her friends to work when the incident happened. She did not notice the cracked manhole cover and subsequently fell three meters down the shaft, fully submerging herself in the murky sewer.

Jenipit was promptly rescued by nearby vendors and motorcycle taxi drivers before being sent to hospital. A medical examination revealed minor scratches and bruises on her legs, arms, and elbows.

Twitter users reported that the city’s drainage and sewerage department rushed to repair the manhole on Wednesday.

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Locals said that they had previously requested the Huai Khwang District Office repair the crack, to no avail. However, as is often the case, the dramatic incident prompted officials to rush to patch up the manhole a few hours later.

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The district office gave Jenipit 20,000 baht as compensation for her treatment and lost possessions, as only some of her belongings were recovered from the scene. She does not intend to pursue legal action. The head of Huai Khwang’s city law compliance office, or tessakit, Damrongsak Takowit, said that commuters can report broken manhole covers by dialing 1555.