SAMUT SAKHON, Aug 1 (TNA) – The governor of Samut Sakhon province ordered quick investigation into the cause of the U-turn bridge collapse that killed two people and injured two others on Rama II Road in front of Vibharam Samutsakhon Hospital.
The tragedy happened at the 34th kilometer marker of the road in Muang district at about 8.30pm yesterday (July 31). The U-turn bridge had been closed for repair. Its beam fell on to vehicles that were using the Bangkok-bound express lanes of the road.
The 10-meter-long concrete beam weighing about five tons hit and split a Bangkok-registered car. Its front passenger died instantly and its driver was injured. It took rescue workers about an hour to free the body from the car.
The beam also hit the front part of a pickup truck, also registered in Bangkok. Its driver and passengers were safe.
Two workers who were on duty on the U-turn bridge were seriously injured as they fell together with the beam. One of them succumbed to injury at Samut Sakhon Hospital.
The beam also hit a diesel tanker which was returning from delivery.
The U-turn bridge was closed for repair on June 23 after it had been used for a long time. It had once caught fire from an exploding fuel tanker. The Highways Department earlier planned to finish the repair on Aug 31.
A vice president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand said the bridge over Rama II Road collapsed possibly because its steel structure lost its strength after a truck had earlier caught fire there. (TNA)
