Truck triggers blackout after toppling 70 poles in Samut Prakan
A container truck brought down more than 70 power poles in Samut Prakan early this morning, January 30, after becoming entangled with low-hanging communication cables while entering the Bang Pu Industrial Estate.
The incident left a 2-kilometre stretch of power infrastructure severely damaged and caused widespread blackouts in the area, prompting emergency repairs expected to continue into the night.
The incident occurred at around 1am along Sukhumvit Road, near the entrance to Bang Pu Industrial Estate in Bang Pu Mai subdistrict. The truck, attempting to enter the estate for the first time, reportedly hooked communication cables with the edge of the container.
This entanglement triggered a domino-like collapse of power poles stretching from in front of Muang Samut Bang Pu Hospital to Soi Bang Pu Municipality 81. The driver, 48 year old Too, was tested for alcohol and returned a negative result.
Initial investigations revealed no injuries or fatalities. The truck was found parked on a bridge over a canal, while fallen poles were seen blocking bicycle lanes, bus stops, and access points to residential areas and the estate itself. Despite the scale of the damage, traffic on Sukhumvit Road remained passable.
Later, commuters and schoolchildren were forced to wait along the roadside, as damaged bus shelters remained unusable following the incident. Officials had managed to restore temporary electricity supply to some areas.
According to Pasuthorn Rattanakham, an engineer from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the fallen poles were each 12 metres tall and included both medium and low-voltage power lines.
The damage extended nearly 2 kilometres and included transformers, street lights, CCTV poles, and public infrastructure.
Emergency repair crews from nearby districts and MEA headquarters were called in to support the response. Temporary pole lines were being installed to allow partial power restoration, while a full structural rebuild is planned for a later date. Full repair operations are expected to continue until at least 11pm today.
The financial damage is currently under assessment, though early estimates suggest costs may run into the millions of baht.
Thairath reported that Bang Pu Municipality and related agencies will evaluate damage to municipal property, including bus stops and lighting systems, before proceeding with compensation and legal processes.
In similar news, back in September, a contestant from The Voice Thailand lost his life in a pickup crash on Nong Hor Road in Chiang Mai, which also damaged 24 electricity poles and caused a power outage in the area.
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