Crane collapse on Rama II Road kills two, heightens scrutiny of ‘Death Road’ construction

Two people were killed and five others injured on the morning of 15 January, 2026, when parts of a construction crane collapsed onto Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon Province, southwest of Bangkok.

The incident took place shortly after 9am in the southbound lane between kilometre markers 28 and 30, near a bridge crossing over the Tha Chin River. Police and local media said the crane was part of the ongoing Rama II Expressway construction project.

According to Police Colonel Sitthiporn Kasi, the crane, used in the elevated highway development, fell onto moving traffic below. Two vehicles were struck directly by the crane’s steel frame, killing their occupants instantly.

“Five others were injured and taken to nearby hospitals,” a police officer from the Muang Samut Sakhon police station told Reuters. “We have cordoned off the area and closed both inbound and outbound lanes for safety.”

Footage released by local news outlets and rescue associations showed clouds of dust and large sections of rubble scattered across the site in front of the Paris Inn Garden Hotel. Rescue workers, police, and construction personnel were seen coordinating the removal of debris and assessing structural integrity at the site.

The traffic news outlet FM91 Trafficpro first reported the incident, which caused significant congestion along the route. Authorities advised motorists to avoid the area as recovery efforts continued into the afternoon.

Rama II Road, a critical artery linking Bangkok with Thailand’s southern provinces, has long been the subject of safety concerns due to prolonged construction activities. The road, which supports several infrastructure projects including tollways and elevated expressways, has earned the moniker “Death Road” due to the frequency and severity of accidents.

Thursday’s collapse occurred just a day after a separate and deadlier crane incident in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, where a launching gantry crane being used in a China-backed high-speed rail project fell onto a moving train, killing at least 32 people and injuring over 60.