NONTHABURI — Five people were injured Thursday morning when a monorail line under construction in the northwestern suburb of Bangkok collapsed, officials said.
The concrete beam of the new Pink Line monorail project being built by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority, or MRTA, fell onto Chaengwattana Road at around 2am, MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas said.
Pakapong said the accident was caused by a faulty supporting structure. Five construction workers belonging to a private firm, Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction, were injured, though no commuters were hurt in the accident.
The transit regulator vowed to take action against the contractor and ordered safety precautions to be reviewed at all construction sites, Pakapong said.
In recent years, the city’s elevated train projects were plagued with safety issues to both the workers and commuters on ground. In June, a taxi plunged into an open pit at the Pink Line construction site; the driver said there are no light or warning signs.
When completed, the 34-kilometer monorail line will link MRT Purple Line’s Nonthaburi Civic Center Station with Bangkok’s northeastern district of Minburi. It is expected to start services by October 2021.
