Search continues for Thai worker buried in landslide at MRT site
Girlfriend clings to hope, their planned wedding now uncertain
An operation is ongoing to locate a Thai construction worker who went missing following a landslide at the construction site of the MRT Orange Line on Lan Luang Road in Bangkok.
The worker, 33 year old Sarawut “Dao” Chanthason, yesterday, May 19, fell into a 19-metre-deep hole that had been drilled for a foundation pile of the Lan Luang MRT Station. He was buried beneath the soil due to the landslide, but officials have been unable to determine how deeply he is buried.
Construction workers and site managers told the media that the landslide may have been caused by heavy rainfall in the preceding days. However, there had been no visible warning signs of ground instability, so work proceeded as usual.
A witness to the incident, 41 year old Chart, told Channel 7 that approximately seven to eight workers were present at the time. Each was engaged in their respective duties when Sarawut, who approached the hole to turn off a machine before taking his lunch break, was suddenly caught in the collapse.
Chart said he was shocked and immediately called for help using his mobile phone. He added that he had only joined the team 10 days earlier and was deeply shaken by the event.
A Royal Traffic Police officer volunteered to descend into the hole using a sling to dig through the soil and create air holes to aid Sarawut’s breathing. However, he was only able to reach a depth of around 10 metres, as the soil was too dense and sticky.
Sarawut’s girlfriend, 33 year old Wiriya “Aim” Chuenta, told DailyNews that she had experienced a nightmare and a bad omen before the accident. She recounted how the electricity at her home suddenly cut out at the same moment a crow flew past and made an eerie sound.
Wiriya said she was devastated to learn what had happened to her boyfriend. The couple had planned to marry in two to three years, and Sarawut had taken up construction work to save money for their wedding. She expressed hope for a miracle and wished to see her boyfriend rescued safely.
At present, officials from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Thailand, the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, and other relevant agencies are working together in the rescue effort.
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