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Two people killed in Thailand when another crane collapses and crushes cars

On Thursday, a crane fell onto a road in Thailand's capital, crushing two cars and killing?two?people. A day earlier, a similar incident in the northeast had led to the derailment of a train and the death of 32 passengers.

Thailand's Transport Minister said that the Italian-Thai Development PCL was also involved in a crane accident near Bangkok. The company, whose crane had fallen onto a train in the northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima Province a day before, is also responsible for the crane incident.

According to the local police, two people were also injured in the incident that occurred in Samut Sakhon Province on Thursday. The crane was used to build an elevated highway and fell onto the road below, crushing two cars.

A SERIES of fatal construction accidents

The accident was the latest of a string of fatal construction accidents in Thailand. Several involved Italian-Thais, such as the collapse of a partially built Bangkok tower in 2013 that resulted in the deaths of at least 89 individuals during an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude. 23 people were charged with negligence, including its president.

Italian-Thai did not respond immediately to emailed requests for comment and declined to comment immediately on the incident.

Images of the scene revealed a crane mangled in green and large pieces of concrete that crushed vehicles below. Thai Rath, a news outlet in Thailand, released a video showing cars reverse to avoid the wreckage and a cloud of dust caused by the collapsed concrete.

Anutin Charnvirakul said that two incidents had shown it was time to take more safety measures. He was previously the president of Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction which was owned by his family.

Anutin said, "We need to fix the law", after visiting the scene of the train accident in the northeast.

"Instead telling agencies to this or that, I think we should have a meeting. We will need to take action."

Thailand is Southeast Asia's largest economy. It has seen significant infrastructure developments, from elevated highways to high-speed rails, and a major expansion of the elevated rail network in Bangkok.

"OVER AND AGAIN"

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Transport Minister, said that it is crucial to determine if these are caused by accidents or another factor.

The?incident occurred repeatedly. He said that the same contractor was responsible for it during an interview with Channel 3 Television.

I am confused by what is happening in the company.

Authorities have confirmed that an investigation is ongoing into the accident which occurred in the Northeast on Wednesday.

In addition to the 32 deaths, 66 of the 195 passengers were injured when a crane used in the construction of structures for a?elevated project high-speed rail collapsed on an existing train track below.

Cross-country high speed rail will connect China via Laos. Last year, the government announced that the construction of the segment between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima had reached more than a quarter. The entire line from Nong Khai to the border with Laos is expected to be completed by 2030.

Italian-Thai is a company founded in 1958 by Italians and Thais. In a press release, the firm said that it would compensate families of those affected by the derailment. (Reporting and editing by David Stanway, Toby Chopra and Martin Petty. Additional reporting and editing by Panu Thepgumpanat and Orathai Shriring.

(source: Reuters)