Rescue efforts are intensifying to save three individuals trapped in a collapsed railway tunnel in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, as authorities adjust their strategy to deploy a robot to assist in the operation. On 27 August 2024, Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, criticized the construction company responsible for the tunnel, threatening legal action after reports surfaced that they obstructed state officials from conducting rescue operations by withholding crucial information.
Speaking on the situation, Anutin stated that the immediate priority is to rescue those trapped inside the tunnel. He emphasized that the construction company has no right to block access, as the collapse is considered a disaster, granting the government authority to intervene. Anutin, currently in Nakhon Ratchasima, plans to take legal action against the company if the reports prove accurate.
In relation to the incident, Anutin said, “They cannot obstruct state agencies from carrying out rescue operations. This is unacceptable. They are mistaken, and the state officials must not tolerate this behavior. Legal action must be taken immediately.”
The tunnel collapse, which occurred around 11:30 p.m. on 24 August 2024, at the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project near Khlong Khanan Chit, Chantuek Subdistrict, Pak Chong District, has prompted a large-scale rescue effort. At the time of the collapse, a Chinese engineer, along with two workers—one Chinese and one Myanmar national—were working inside the tunnel. Equipment, including a backhoe, trucks, and three cars, was also trapped. The State Railway of Thailand and the contractor have been cooperating fully with the rescue teams.
Recent updates from the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, alongside K9 units and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, have pinpointed the location of a backhoe and a truck buried under debris within the high-speed railway tunnel. Efforts are underway to insert steel casing pipes, six meters in length, equipped with location-tracking devices, to penetrate the collapsed area and increase ventilation inside the tunnel. The rescue team is simultaneously using life detection equipment and K9 dogs to locate the victims as quickly as possible. By the evening of 26 August 2024, some debris had been cleared from the tunnel’s upper section, and oxygen tubes measuring 1.20 meters in width were inserted to supply air to the trapped workers.
The Disaster Response Association of Thailand provided further updates on the situation, confirming that the USAR team and K9 units have located the coordinates of the buried backhoe and truck. A steel casing pipe has been inserted to search for the backhoe. At midnight, officials reported a suspected area where the missing individuals might be located, matching the USAR team’s life detection scans. The rescue teams have confirmed detecting life at three intervals: three meters with minimal movement, six meters with the most significant movement, and 11 meters with slight movement.
Following this, a larger steel pipe, 1.20 meters in diameter, was inserted to clear the soil, which struck a vehicle beneath the collapsed debris. The specific part of the vehicle could not be identified, but it is believed to be the section where the workers were operating when the collapse occurred. The impact caused further soil collapse, prompting company officials to request rescue teams withdraw temporarily due to concerns of additional cave-ins. Plans are now in place to deploy a robot to conduct further exploration inside the tunnel.
The situation remains critical, with rescue teams racing against time to save those trapped, while legal and procedural challenges continue to complicate the rescue operation.
