NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Three workers — two Chinese and one Burmese national— were buried when the high-speed rail tunnel collapsed in the Klong Khanan Chit section in Chanthuek sub-district, Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima province.
A preliminary investigation by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) revealed that the excavation of the Khlong Pai Tunnel is almost complete, with around 4,100 meters already dug. A wall was built along the entire length of the tunnel during construction.
The collapse occurred at a point where the rock and soil layers in the tunnel had subsided over a distance of around 10 to 30 meters during the construction of the wall.
Surapong Piyachot, Acting Deputy Minister of Transport, further stated on August 26 that there had been continuous rainfall in the period before the incident. This led to water seeping into the soil layers above the tunnel.
“When the soil became saturated with a large amount of water, while some concrete lining had been done on the upper part, the full circumference of the tunnel walls had not yet been reinforced to increase strength. This may have resulted in the heavily water-laden soil collapsing onto the trucks and vehicles that were operating inside,” he explained.
The incident occurred on August 24 at 11:40 p.m. when the workers were using an excavator and a loader to dig a section about 600 meters deep from the tunnel entrance. Suddenly, there was a collapse of the mountain floor, which covered all three vehicles with a loud noise. It is believed that the workers, including the two workers and their supervisor, were trapped by the debris.
The missing persons have been identified as:
- Mr. Hu Xiang Min, male, Chinese nationality, site supervisor.
- Mr. Tong Qinlin, male, Chinese nationality, backhoe operator.
- A Burmese worker, name unknown, truck driver.
At 4:30 a.m. on August 26, after a nighttime search operation using pulse monitors and an excavator to remove soil, the rescue team discovered signs of life indicating that the trapped people might still be alive. As a result, rescue vehicles and a medical team from Pak Chong Nana Hospital were dispatched to the tunnel entrance.
However, at 10:00 a.m., the search team inserted a pulse-detecting pipe once again to check, but no vital signs of the worker were detected. The operation was supported by K9 search dogs, and several agencies remained on site around the clock to assist.
The tunnel construction is part of the high-speed rail project between Thailand and China, which was originally part of the 2 trillion baht infrastructure investment initiative under the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
During the military government under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a cabinet decision on July 11, 2017 authorized the State Railway of Thailand to proceed with the high-speed rail project between Bangkok and Nong Khai.
The investment strategy involves cooperation between the Thai and Chinese governments and is in line with the development strategy of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Thailand is responsible for the overall project investment, construction and adoption of Chinese construction technology and railroad systems.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the 253 km Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima construction of Phase 1 with a budget of 179.4 billion baht took place on December 21, 2017, after the contracts between the State Railway of Thailand and the Chinese state-owned enterprises China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) and China Railway International Corporation (CRIC) were signed on September 4, 2017.
Originally, the project comprised 14 construction contracts, of which one was completed, seven were under construction, three were in preparation and three were in the award process. The project was originally scheduled to be fully operational by 2026.
However, the project experienced delays and ultimately setbacks. On March 22, 2022, the cabinet approved a draft royal decree to expropriate land in certain areas of Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Saraburi and Nakhon Ratchasima for the high-speed rail line.
On August 20, 2023, the then Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith mentioned a further delay during an inspection of the construction progress, so that the start of operations is now expected in 2027.
By 2024, Anan Phonimdaeng, deputy governor of the State Railway of Thailand, summarized the overall progress of the project as 71.36 percent completion as of July 25, 2024, with a work performance delay of 34.97 percent and a progress delay of 36.39 percent, postponing the start of service to 2028.
At a meeting of the SRT Board of Directors on 14 August 2024, an adjustment to the budget framework for Contracts 3-5 involving the Khok Kruat-Nakhon Ratchasima section totaling 2.05 billion baht was approved.
The reason for this adjustment is the change from a ground-level structure to an elevated structure on a 7.85-kilometer section along the Khok Kruat-Phukhao Lat route to support the surrounding communities that had requested the elevated structure.
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