Death toll rises in collapse of under-construction Bangkok highway

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Forensic police and rescue workers inspect the scene after a construction girder on an elevated tollway collapsed, killing at least one person, in Lat Krabang district in Bangkok - AFP

BANGKOK - A second person has been confirmed killed and 12 others injured in the collapse of a road bridge under construction in Bangkok, Thai officials said Tuesday.

The collapse late Monday of a beam system supporting work on a raised bridge trapped several vehicles travelling on the busy thoroughfare in the Lat Krabang district, near Suvarnabhumi international airport.

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A video released Monday by the Department of Disaster Prevention showed the structure's sudden fall, raising a cloud of dust, while later videos showed the devastation left in the aftermath of the incident.

Wisanu Subsompon, deputy governor of Bangkok, told a press conference Tuesday the damage may have been caused by an unbalanced crane.

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"Work will be suspended until they have a safety plan," he said.

The roadwork is part of a project to build elevated highways in an attempt to ease the city's notoriously congested traffic.

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Construction safety standards are lax in Thailand, where accidents are commonplace.

In 2016, at least 13 people were killed when a building under construction collapsed.

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The accident had sparked protests from trade unions, who denounced the inadequacy of safety standards and the meagre wages paid to workers on construction sites - AFP