PATTAYA, Thailand
A 15-year-old boy was killed in a horrifying industrial accident on Thursday evening when he was pulled into a pile-driving machine and crushed at a major condominium construction site in Pattaya.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:16 p.m. on June 18th, 2026, inside the construction zone of a well-known luxury condominium project located in Soi Thepprasit 7.
Rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya Rescue Center, along with Pattaya City Police, rushed to the scene after receiving a report that a person had been caught in the sling of a pile driver. Upon arrival, they found workers gathered around the heavy machinery but too shocked to approach.
Inside the base of the pile driver, rescuers discovered the body of the teenage boy, identified only as “A” for privacy, who had been dragged in by the sling and crushed.
The boy’s stepfather, Mr. Kantapol (surname withheld), 29, and his biological mother, Ms. Wiphawadee (surname withheld), 44, were sitting nearby, overcome with grief and near collapse. Rescue teams worked carefully to extract the boy’s body from the machine’s base. The remains were later covered with white cloth and removed from the site.
Both parents were taken to a local hospital for medical attention and emotional support. In an interview at the scene, the stepfather explained the final moments to The Pattaya News: “We were about to finish work for the day, and my son offered to help remove the battery terminals. He said he wanted to assist me. I don’t know why he climbed onto the pile driver platform, but the sling suddenly caught him and pulled him down into the machine’s base.” He added that he was in shock when he discovered what had happened and immediately called for emergency help.
Pattaya City Police Chief Pol. Col. Anek Sathongyu ordered investigators, led by Pol. Lt. Col. Thanathip Jitari, to thoroughly examine the scene, interview witnesses, and question those involved in the construction project. The probe will determine whether the death resulted from an accident or negligence.
The boy’s body has been sent for a forensic autopsy to establish the exact cause of death. Once formalities are completed, relatives will be able to claim the remains for funeral rites in accordance with Buddhist traditions. Construction work at the site has been temporarily halted pending further investigation.
