Old wall collapses, kills grandmother and grandson in Isaan
A tragic incident occurred in the Mueang district of Nong Bua Lam Phu province, where a concrete wall from a 30 year old house collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 63 year old Duangjai Sriphalan and her 6 year old grandson. The accident happened in the laundry area of their single-storey home.
Prasert Sriphalan recounted returning from errands at approximately 3.40pm yesterday, March 5, only to find his wife’s body partially visible under the collapsed concrete wall.
Shocked, the 65 year old quickly called for help. His brother-in-law, Suchart Jantra, who works as a janitor at a nearby school, rushed over with a neighbour to assist.
The group managed to lift the wall slightly, allowing Prasert to pull his wife from beneath the concrete, but she was already dead.
Shortly after, Prasert’s son arrived home and began searching for his child, suspecting he might be with his grandmother.
Upon lifting the wall again, they discovered the boy lying motionless in a tub, likely intended for bathing. They immediately contacted emergency services at 1669. When rescuers arrived, they found the child had a faint pulse and rushed him to Nong Bua Lam Phu Hospital.
Prasert speculated that the wall’s collapse might have been caused by vibrations from heavy machinery used in nearby road construction, as the house, over 30 years old, was already in poor condition. Additionally, a clothes line attached to the wall may have added strain, contributing to its failure.
Police inspections revealed that the wall was inadequately secured with only minimal cement holding it to beams, and there were no reinforcing steel bars.
Later, Prasert’s son, who had accompanied his child to the hospital, informed the family that the boy had also died. This news brought immense grief to the relatives gathered at Duangjai’s wake, reported KhaoSod.
“My nephew usually stayed with my parents, who lived 500 metres away, but Duangjai often picked him up from school to wait until they could collect him in the evening.”
Following the investigation by police and forensic officials, the family expressed no suspicion regarding the cause of death and proceeded with funeral arrangements for both Duangjai and her grandson at their home.
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