Nakhon Ratchasima —
On August 26th, 2024, Mr. Ekkarat Sriarayanphong, the Chief of the Governor’s Office of the State Railway of Thailand, provided an update on the rescue efforts for three workers trapped inside the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail tunnel in Nakhon Ratchasima.
Ekkarat stated that rescue teams were urgently digging through the collapsed tunnel section with expert supervision to avoid further incidents.
As of 5:00 PM on August 25th, the team had partially removed the collapsed earth and started inserting an air pipe to pump oxygen into the area where the workers were supposedly trapped, with only 20 meters remaining.
Acting Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr. Surapong Piyachote, expressed full support for the rescue efforts, emphasizing worker safety as the top priority and ordering strict safety measures across all construction projects.
Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Chaiwat Chuenkosum closely monitored the situation and coordinated with the Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR Thailand) to use radar scanning tools, which successfully detected the vital signs of the three workers, suggesting they are alive.
On August 27th, the Disaster Response Association of Thailand reported that the USAR team, along with K9 units, located the position of the buried excavator and truck. Efforts are ongoing to reach the vehicles.
