Monday, August 26, 2024

Foreign workers trapped for days in tunnel after landslide in Thailand still alive, rescuers say

Rescuers from state and private agencies are clearing the soil that slid down the mountain, trapping the trio. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Aug 27, 2024

Three workers trapped inside a tunnel that was under construction as part of the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway in Nakhon Ratchasima in north-east Thailand are still alive, Pak Chong district chief Kanatchon Sricharoen said on Aug 26.

A Chinese foreman, a Chinese backhoe operator and a Myanmar dump truck driver became trapped inside the tunnel that was being constructed in Tambon Chan Thuek in Pak Chong district after a landslide on Aug 24.

Rescuers from state and private agencies have been pumping oxygen into the tunnel to keep the workers alive and are clearing the soil that slid down the mountain, trapping the trio.

Mr Kanatchon explained that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation arrived at the scene around midnight to support the rescue, adding that the department’s radar scanner had detected vital signs from trapped workers.

He said the rescue team had inserted a 1.2m tube into the area where vital signs were detected before deploying officials to clear the soil inside and rescue the workers.

“The detection of vital signs proves that they are still alive,” he said, adding that officials will evaluate the victims’ health before sending them to Pakchong Nana Hospital.


Mr Kanatchon confirmed that a rescue plan has been set up to assist the trapped workers as soon as possible. 

THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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