Lat Phrao Road takes a dive: Sinkhole chaos in Bangkok

There was a bit of a sinking feeling in Bangkok last night when Lat Phrao Road in the Wang Thong Lang district of the city collapsed, resulting in a 2-metre-deep hole in the left lane, causing chaos and a gridlock in the capital. The road collapse is believed to be connected to the ongoing cable tunnel construction in the vicinity.

The Chok Chai Police Station officers together with authorities from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority officials and civil engineers yesterday at 6pm promptly responded to investigate the incident near Lat Phrao Road, specifically in the vicinity of Soi Lat Phrao 67/2.

The collapse occurred when the No. 92 public bus drove past the spot and parked to pick up passengers. Suddenly, the road gave way beneath it, causing the left rear wheel of the bus to plunge into the hole.

The traffic police quickly coordinated with a nearby company, which dispatched a tow truck to extricate the public bus from its predicament. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Officers found it necessary to temporarily close both lanes on the left side of the road, allowing vehicular traffic to pass only through the right lane. This decision had repercussions on traffic flow, causing congestion from the Lat Phrao Intersection to the location of the incident which is about 3 kilometres long.

The repair work can be done only after 10pm so, the authorities initiated preparations by employing a small backhoe to excavate the damaged road surface, in readiness for the filling of sand and concrete.

ThaiRath reported that the ongoing construction of a cable tunnel beneath the road’s surface in the vicinity might have contributed to the structural issue underlying this collapse. However, this information remains unverified by the relevant authorities.

This incident serves as a stark reminder of the collapse of a section of the under-construction flyover on the Luang Paeng Road in Bangkok in July. The tragic incident killed two people who were workers on the construction project.

Follow more of The Thaiger’s latest stories on our new Facebook page: CLICK HERE.