Workers found alive under collapsed tunnel at rail construction site

Three workers have been found alive under a collapsed tunnel at the high-speed rail construction site between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. Rescue teams are working tirelessly to retrieve them from 6 metres beneath the debris.

The incident occurred yesterday, August 25, at the high-speed rail tunnel construction site between the Janthuek and Klong Khananchit stations in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima. The collapse happened inside the third tunnel, which spans 1.5 kilometres, approximately 600 metres from the entrance. The tunnel caved in on a vehicle and three workers around midnight.

Following the collapse, construction company officials have been continuously searching for the missing workers. The district chief of Pak Chong, Kanatshanom Sricharoen and local government officials, including Kris Phunkasem, head of the Nakhon Ratchasima Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, have been actively monitoring the rescue efforts.

The Provincial Governor, Chaiwat Chuenkosum, also visited the site with the provincial police chief, Narongrit Dansuwan, to oversee the rescue operations. A command centre has been established at the Klong Khananchit railway station to coordinate the rescue efforts.

Rescue teams have been using pulse-detection equipment to locate the missing workers, believed to be trapped under the tunnel debris for over 24 hours. Officials have been praying for the workers’ survival.

According to the authorities on-site, the tunnel excavation involved removing three soil layers before installing support beams. During the excavation, soil from the first and second layers suddenly collapsed, burying two trucks and the workers.

Closely monitoring

Kanatshanom, who is directing the rescue operations, checked on the progress within the tunnel at 11pm. He informed the media at 4am today that Chaiwat, the provincial governor, has been closely following the situation.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department provided radar scanning equipment, which arrived at midnight and was immediately put to use. The equipment detected the vital signs of the three trapped workers.

Kanatshanom confirmed that pulse-detection equipment had arrived and was being used inside the tunnel. Throughout the night, rescue teams, including those with excavators, worked to remove the soil.

At 4.30am today, the equipment detected the workers’ pulses approximately 6 metres beneath the debris, indicating they were still alive. Ambulances and medical teams from Pak Chong Nana Hospital are on standby at the tunnel entrance.

The three missing workers include a Chinese supervisor, Hu Xiangmin, an excavator operator, Dong Xinlin, and an unidentified Burmese truck driver. Rescue teams work around the clock to safely extract them from the collapsed tunnel.

Emergency personnel remain on-site to provide immediate medical assistance once the workers are rescued. The efforts are ongoing, and the situation remains critical as rescuers strive to bring the workers to safety, reported KhaoSod.