Chiang Rai skywalk closed for repairs after glass panel shatters

If you were planning on standing on the Chiang Rai skywalk in northern Thailand to stare into a thick layer of hazardous dust this week, think again, because the tourist attraction is now closed for repairs after a piece of the glass floor shattered yesterday.

Tourists standing 486 feet above sea level were terrified yesterday when a loud bang erupted from the “Three Lands Skywalk.” One layer of glass inside one panel on the West wing – about 2.5 by 2 metres long – had shattered.

Officials confirmed there was no damage to the main structure of the 32 million baht skywalk but immediately stopped tourists from ascending onto the glass just in case.

Each panel contains three layers of glass and the other two layers of the panel were undamaged, the officials said. To prove the lack of danger presented by the shattered glass, the media posted photos of five people gingerly standing on the broken panel.

Officials said they examined CCTV footage and saw some tourists jumping on the panel and dropping objects onto the glass, which they believe to be the cause of the shattered glass, but said they will examine the footage more thoroughly to confirm the cause.

The officials said the skywalk, which opened in October last year, was designed to withhold earthquakes. The officials said that a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on July 22, 2022, did not impact the skywalk.

Construction began in 2020 with a budget of 32 million baht, entirely funded by donations raised by Wat Phra That Pha Ngao temple.

Up to 100 tourists can ascend onto the skywalk at any one time and are required to wear the shoe protectors provided.

Tourists had a delightful view of the Golden Triangle (the Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meeting point) when the “Three Lands Skywalk” opened in October last year. Now, the Mekong River 400 metres away can hardly be seen through the blanket of PM2.5 dust choking the region.