A municipality official died in a road collapse while on duty, inspecting a drainage pipe under a road in the Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai province yesterday, September 10.
The 56 year old head of the Construction Department of Mueang Don Kaew Municipality Office, Prasert, was investigating a water leak from the drainage pipe beneath the road with other officials. The leak caused the road to collapse, creating a large hole.
Prasert was seen jumping into the hole to check the source of the leak more closely. Unexpectedly, a section of asphalt and soil behind him gave way, collapsing onto him.
A backhoe driver immediately removed the fallen debris from Prasert’s body, and witnesses managed to pull him out of the hole around 20 minutes later.
A colleague told Channel 7 that Prasert remained conscious and was able to respond to questions while being transported to the hospital. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries at 2am today, September 11.
According to Channel 7, the collapse caused severe internal injuries, including ruptured intestines, multiple bone fractures, and ribs that pierced his lungs and spleen.
One of Prasert’s colleagues, Kriangkrai Jannakam, stated that Prasert had instructed him to place sandbags inside the pipe before sealing it with mortar to prevent further leakage, shortly before the soil collapsed on top of him.
Colleagues described him as a hardworking team leader who had served the municipality for more than 15 years and was widely respected.
The Mayor of the Mueang Don Kaew Municipality Office, Palakorn Kantawang, said no one expected such a tragedy to occur. He added that the municipality would fully support Prasert’s family with funeral expenses and contribution funds.
Palakorn also ordered officials to take extra precautions during road repairs to prevent similar incidents in future.
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