Bridge Collapse in Thailand: Profits Over Lives
On March 15, 2025, at 1:48 AM in Thailand, a concrete beam of an under-construction expressway bridge carried out by the joint-venture Italian-Thai Development Company and Vichitbhan Construction Company (ITD-VCB) collapsed, resulting in 7 deaths, 27 injuries, and 2 missing persons. A cement truck driver present at the scene reported that construction workers were pouring concrete beams to connect the piers when a loud structural noise was heard moments before the collapse. The majority of the victims were bridge workers, including several immigrant laborers.
This is not the first major construction accident on Rama 2 Road. Just recently, on November 29, 2024, a launching gantry crane of the same expressway project collapsed, causing 6 worker fatalities, of which 4 are Myanmar workers, and 10 injuries.
Since 2018, Rama 2 Road has been the site of three major road construction projects. Over the past seven years, frequent accidents have occurred, including:
- August 9, 2020: Two vehicles fell into a flooded roadside ditch at a construction site. There were no warning signs in place.
- August 21, 2021: A worker from Italian-Thai Development fell from an elevated roadway at kilometer 19 while installing a beam support plate.
- July 17, 2022: A large steel piece fell onto the road, damaging two vehicles and causing minor injuries to three people.
- July 31, 2022: A U-turn bridge collapsed, killing two people (including a construction worker) and injuring two others.
- March 7, 2023: A crane collapsed onto Rama 2 Road when a contractor attempted to lift a backhoe stuck in the mud. The crane’s sling detached, causing the boom to swing, break, and block the road.
The recurring accidents stem from poor oversight by main contractors, inadequate inspection of construction materials, and lack of thorough workmanship. Insufficient safety protocols and substandard protective measures have repeatedly contributed to these incidents. Additionally, cost-cutting during the bidding process has led to compromised safety standards, increasing the likelihood of failures. Many contractors prioritize profit over safety, opting for cheaper materials and minimizing expenditures on essential safety measures—a pattern that continues to put Thai and migrant workers at risk.
The Pheu Thai Party (For Thais Party), which serves as the political arm of Thailand's bourgeois Shinawatra family, has long maintained close ties with ITD, the dominant construction monopoly in Thailand, and its billionaire owner, Premchai Karnasuta. ITD has secured some of the most lucrative contracts for Thailand's largest infrastructure projects. Additionally, the monopoly has benefited from bailouts by Thai banks and support from the Thai government under the Pheu Thai administration in 2024, which has assisted it in avoiding a financial crisis.
Contrary to the claims of current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, that “Capitalism must have heart” this example demonstrates that the only heart it maintains is the one which beats with the blood of profits.